A correctional officer with the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Department was arrested Monday morning following a hearing in Lauderdale County Circuit Court in which a judge determined there was enough probable cause to charge the officer.
Mitchell Eugene Pierre II, 19, of Quitman, was taken into custody immediately after the probable cause hearing requested by Lauderdale County Sheriff Billy Sollie upon the completion of an internal investigation into accusations Pierre brought contraband into the jail.
Pierre is now charged with bringing contraband into a correctional facility. He was placed on $20,000 bond.
The investigation began recently when an inmate provided sheriff's department officials with information that alleged Pierre was supplying another inmate with a cell phone inside the Lauderdale County Adult Detention Facility located in downtown Meridian. Cell phones are among a long list of items prohibited for inmates to possess.
Pierre was fired in May from his job as a correctional officer.
"The case will be presented to the next Lauderdale County grand jury and we will be seeking an indictment," said LCSD Chief Dep. Ward Calhoun.
Sollie commented on how important it was for the public to have confidence those who serve the county will do so with highest regard for the law, honesty and sense of responsibility while doing their jobs.
"As law enforcement officers, we are held to a higher standard and whenever someone brings down that standard we are disappointed and angry," said Sollie Monday afternoon. "There are more than a hundred employees with the sheriff's department in various capacities that uphold the standards we've set for ourselves. It is unfortunate when one person strays from that level of integrity and honesty."
After the internal investigation determined there was enough evidence implicating Pierre, Sollie made a motion before the Lauderdale County Circuit Court to have a probable cause hearing, which is required by state law whenever a county employee is suspected of wrongdoing.
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