Former Shelby County Correctional Officer Pleads Guilty to Drug Charges

MEMPHIS, TN—Johnathan Jackson, age 26, a former corrections officer at the Shelby County Correctional Center, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee to possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute announced United States Attorney Edward L. Stanton, III.. Jackson was charged in a one-count indictment alleging that he possessed with the intent to distribute approximately 159 grams of marijuana.

The investigation utilized an undercover officer, who posed as an associate of an inmate who had previously arranged for Jackson to bring marijuana into the Shelby County Correctional Facility. During recorded conversations, Jackson agreed to smuggle marijuana into the correctional facility in exchange for $500.00. Jackson arranged for the undercover officer to meet him at a local gas station. Officers on the scene recovered marked currency from Jackson, a handgun, and two packages containing the 159 grams of marijuana, as well as tobacco and rolling papers wrapped in black tape. Jackson is scheduled to be sentenced on December 21, 2011. He is facing up to five years in prison.

“Every correctional officer has a duty to ensure public safety, and this officer used and exploited his position of trust for his own illegal gains,” said United States Attorney Edward L. Stanton, III, “The United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee will aggressively prosecute any officer that violates the public trust and fails to uphold their oath to protect the community.”

This investigation was conducted by members of the FBI Tarnished Badge Task Force and the Shelby County Narcotics Unit. Assistant United States Attorney Brian Coleman represented the government.