By Amy Leigh Womack
The Macon Telegraph
MACON, Ga. — A former Central State Prison corrections officer pleaded guilty Monday to crossing the guard line with liquor and violating his oath of office.
On Sept. 22, 2012, a bag containing a Powerade bottle and a Coke bottle was left inside the guard line at the prison, located on Fulton Mill Road in Macon. Paris Dewayne Watson, 23, of Macon, has admitted he asked another guard to bring the bag inside the prison and that the bottles contained alcohol, said John Regan, a Bibb County prosecutor.
One bottle contained vodka and the other was filled with Crown Royal, both for Watson’s personal consumption, Regan said.
“He admitted he had drank alcohol on the job in the past,” Regan said during a Monday hearing in Bibb County Superior Court.
Regan said Watson was fired from his job at the prison following the incident.
When the judge asked Watson how long he had been drinking on the job, Watson replied that it had been going on for a couple months.
Watson was sentenced to four years on probation and he must surrender his Peace Officer Standards and Training certificate. He also must pay a $500 fine and $500 in attorneys fees.
The other guard who allegedly brought the bag into the prison for Watson also is charged with crossing the guard line with liquor and violating his oath of office. His case is still pending.