GATESVILLE, Texas — A corrections officer has been arrested in connection with a smuggling operation that brought illegal drugs and prohibited items into a maximum security prison, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice said.
Mederis Shaw, 33, had numerous cell phones, a variety of illegal drugs and other contraband inside his vehicle during a law enforcement search by the Office of Inspector General, officials said.
“Shaw’s alleged behavior tarnishes the good name of thousands of men and women wearing gray," Bobby Lumpkin, the director of TDCJ's Correctional Institutions Division, said about the arrest.
TDCJ said Shaw worked as a corrections officer for 18 months at the Alfred D. Hughes Unit in Coryell County. The same prison, which housed escaped cartel killer Gonzalo Lopez.
Officers with the OIG arrested Shaw on Monday and booked him into the Coryell County jail on a drug possession and delivery charge, which carries up to 20 years in prison.
TDCJ said it will terminate Shaw's employment, and the case will be referred over for felony prosecution at the end of the investigation.
Lumpkin said the officer's arrest is the latest in an effort to "root out corruption" within the state agency.
"We will continue to work closely with OIG to see that individuals who engage in contraband smuggling are arrested and prosecuted," Lumpkin said.
