By Adam Floyd
The Valdosta Daily Times
VALDOSTA — A former Valdosta State Prison corrections officer was indicted Friday on a charge related to attempting to smuggle tobacco to an inmate.
A Lowndes County Superior Court grand jury indicted Tyree Mitchell on one count of violation of oath by public officer in connection with an Oct. 16, 2014 incident, according to court records.
A corrections officer allegedly attempted to enter the prison with two packs of Bugler tobacco in his front pockets with the intent of delivering them to an inmate, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections.
Mitchell was arrested by the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office and is currently out on bond.
On Oct. 18, two days after Mitchell was arrested, another VSP corrections officer, Mason Fender, was charged with attempting to smuggle tobacco, according to police records.
The corrections officer allegedly concealed approximately two ounces of tobacco in a sandwich.
He was arrested by the LCSO and is out on bond. His case has not yet been reviewed by a grand jury.