Correctional officer charged with using burritos to smuggle contraband into prison

3 hours ago

WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News Staff,

HENDERSON, Texas (KLTV/Gray News) – A Texas Department of Criminal Justice correctional officer was jailed after officials said he smuggled tobacco into a prison using burritos.

Sixty-six-year-old James Byron Thibodeaux, of Henderson, was released from the Rusk County Jail over the weekend on a $15,000 bond for a warrant charging him with having a prohibited substance in a correctional facility.

Before 7 a.m. last Thursday, staff at the Bradshaw State Jail in Henderson contacted the Office of Inspector General to report the discovery of contraband in a bathroom trash can, according to an affidavit.

Immediately before finding the tobacco, staff told investigators they had seen Thibodeaux exiting the bathroom, according to the affidavit.

Thibodeaux agreed to speak to investigators and admitted to dropping burritos containing tobacco into a trash can inside a prison bathroom for an inmate to retrieve. According to the affidavit, Thibodeaux also admitted to receiving a payment through Cash App.

Sixty-six-year-old James Byron Thibodeaux was charged with having a prohibited substance in a correctional facility.(Rusk County Jail)

Investigators arrested Thibodeaux at approximately 9:30 a.m. inside the prison and transported him to the Rusk County Jail, where he remained until Saturday.

Thibodeaux is charged with a third-degree felony and could face up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $10,000 if convicted.

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