ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Officials said Orange County Jail inmates got their hands on contraband, including cellphones and powerful drugs, with the help of an Orange County Fire Rescue employee.
The inmates stored the contraband at a county building off-site, where they worked as trustees.
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An inmate who tested positive for drugs during a random test sparked an investigation at the jail.
Investigators said it led them to an Orange County fire rescue employee, who is serving an 80-hour suspension.
Officials said the illegal contraband belonged to Orange County Jail inmates Derek Morales and Jose Laureno Rojas.
Investigators believe fire rescue procurement coordinator Hector Acevedo helped the inmates get it.
But Orange County Fire Rescue investigators believe Acevedo played a role from the moment he allowed an inmate to use his cell phone to call his wife while he was driving them to fleet operations where inmates perform odd jobs as part of the trustee program.
The jail chief was tipped off when another inmate tested positive for marijuana in May.
Investigators took photos to show where they later found the cellphones. Tobacco and oxycodone pills were hidden and were sometimes smuggled back into the jail using balloons small enough to swallow.
Investigators also found photos in the cellphones of the inmates posing for selfies.
The jail chief alerted fire rescue because the inmates said Acevedo supplied them with what they wanted.
Acevedo was responsible for managing expenses at the fleet building and picking up the inmates at the jail for daily work at the facility.
The investigation revealed Morales' wife knew where he was. She and another person delivered the contraband and hid it in bushes outside the fleet building.
Both inmates lost 15 days of gained time and were placed in confinement for 30 days.
According to the investigative report, Acevedo expressed remorse for his role and insisted he never provided them with the tobacco or drugs, only food.
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Cox Media Group
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