HENDERSON, Texas (East Texas News) – A corrections officer with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice was arrested Thursday after the Office of the Inspector General alleged that he had smuggled contraband tobacco into a Rusk County prison by using burritos.
James Byron Thibodeaux, 66, of Henderson, was released Saturday from Rusk County Jail after posting a $15,000 bond, on a warrant charging him with possession of a prohibited substance inside a correctional facility.
Around 6:48 a.m. Thursday, staff at the Bradshaw Unit in Henderson contacted the Office of the Inspector General to report the discovery of contraband tucked in a bathroom trash can, according to a sworn statement obtained by KLTV.
Moments before the tobacco was found, staff told the investigator that they had seen Thibodeaux exit the bathroom, the sworn statement said.
Thibodeaux agreed to speak with investigators and confessed that he had tossed burritos containing tobacco into a bathroom trash can inside the prison so that an inmate could retrieve them, and that he had received payment via Cash App, according to the sworn statement.
Investigators took Thibodeaux into custody at 9:32 a.m. inside the prison and transported him to the Rusk County Jail, where he remained through Saturday.
Charged with a third-degree felony, Thibodeaux could face a sentence of two to twenty years in prison and fines of up to $10,000 if convicted.
