Officer accused of taking bribes and smuggling phones into Yuba County Jail
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- A sheriff’s correctional officer was arrested on suspicion of bribery and criminal conspiracy.
- Searches at the jail uncovered cell phones and more than $2,000 in cash.
- Sheriff Wendell Anderson said it was a breach of trust and a threat to jail safety.
Investigators this week arrested a sheriff’s correctional officer accused of taking bribes and smuggling cell phones to inmates at the Yuba County Jail.
Officer Martin Palacios Lugo was arrested on suspicion of bribery, criminal conspiracy and possession of a wireless communication device in a correctional facility, the Yuba County Sheriff’s Department announced Tuesday morning in a news release.
The correctional officer was taken into custody early Monday following an investigation last week after investigators received “intelligence” that suggested unauthorized cell phones were being circulating among inmates at the jail, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
Staff searched the jail and found two cell phones hidden in a housing unit and evidence pointed to Palacios Lugo possibly distributing these cell phones, sheriff’s officials said.
When Palacios Lugo returned to work, sheriff’s detectives served a search warrant to look for evidence on the correctional officer himself and his vehicle parked at the jail. Sheriff’s officials said the detectives found three cell phones and more than $2,000 in cash.
Palacios Lugo has resigned, according to the Sheriff’s Department. He was not listed in jail custody records Tuesday. His arraignment hearing in Yuba Superior Court had not yet been sceduled.
Sheriff’s officials said unauthorized cell phones in correctional facilities create “significant safety risks,” beacuse the cell phones enable inmates to engage in illegal activity, evade monitoring and endanger jail staff, other inmates and the public.
Sheriff Wendell Anderson said situations like this damage the public’s trust in his office. He said he’s “confident that justice will be served.”
“I was saddened to learn about this betrayal of trust and disregard for the safety of our staff and those in our care,” Anderson said in the news release. “I am proud of the way in which our staff handled this investigation and know the actions of one do not reflect on the hard work of so many men and women who wear our badge.”
