By Stacy Ryburn
Times Record
SEBASTIAN COUNTY, Ark. — A Sebastian County Adult Detention Center deputy resigned last month after she was arrested on suspicion of felony furnishing prohibited articles into the jail, stemming from an internal Sheriff’s Office investigation.
On Oct. 9, the Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office received information alleging that a Detention Center deputy had smuggled contraband into the jail and had been giving preferential treatment to certain inmates. The Sheriff’s Office began internal and criminal investigations into the allegations, according to a news release from Maj. Kevin Nickson.
In an interview with Sheriff’s Office investigators, deputy Celeste Wagoner, 40, confessed to bringing cigarettes into the Detention Center and giving them to inmates. Wagoner also admitted to developing a friendship with an inmate and having in her possession an inappropriate photo of the inmate, the release states.
Wagoner resigned the next day on Oct. 10, Nickson said.
A warrant was issued for Wagoner’s arrest on suspicion of felony furnishing prohibited articles. Wagoner was arrested Oct. 15, booked and released on a $5,000 bond the same day. Wagoner was arraigned in Sebastian County Circuit Court on Oct. 23, according to the release.
The Sheriff’s Office conducted an internal investigation at the same time as Wagoner’s investigation, and determined that two other Detention Center employees also violated departmental policy. Sgt. Stacy Goodrich, who served as Wagoner’s supervisor, resigned amid the investigation. Another jail deputy also was disciplined, Nickson said.
Copyright 2013 Times Record