Two former prison guards in Kentucky are facing criminal charges after authorities say they smuggled drugs into one of the state’s most troubled correctional facilities.
According to court records, Dwayne Lee Skaggs, 34, and William Chester Caudill, 32, have been charged in Morgan Circuit Court with first-degree promoting contraband, drug trafficking, official misconduct and engaging in organized crime.
Investigators say the two men allegedly brought drugs into the Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex, a medium-security prison with a history of inmate abuse allegations and lawsuits.
Authorities also charged two inmates — Challis Ray Davis, 44, and Shane A. Wilder, 42 — along with Wilder’s mother, Donnie G. Wilder, 70, in connection with the alleged smuggling operation. The inmates were already serving sentences related to burglary and methamphetamine offenses and have since been transferred to other state prisons.
The investigation by the Kentucky Department of Corrections began after officials monitored phone calls and letters between inmates and their relatives starting in June. Investigators say the communications arranged meetings between the guards and family members at businesses in London, Kentucky, where money and drugs were allegedly exchanged.
Authorities stopped the guards as they arrived for work on Sept. 7. According to the internal affairs report, officers found 55.5 grams of methamphetamine and 800 strips of the prescription medication Suboxone inside Caudill’s lunchbox.
Investigators say Skaggs admitted to meeting inmates’ relatives and bringing contraband into the prison before resigning from his position. Caudill reportedly acknowledged having the drugs but declined to say where they came from.
Brandon Ison, the commonwealth’s attorney for the region, said while drugs sometimes enter correctional facilities through visitors or mail, cases involving corrections officers are especially troubling.
No trial dates have been scheduled as the case continues to move through the court system.