CLEVELAND — A Cuyahoga County corrections officer has been indicted by a grand jury on charges that he provided drugs and a cellphone to inmates.
According to the 12-count indictment, Stephen A. Thomas allegedly furnished individuals with controlled substances, accepted cash from inmates to purchase contraband and facilitated the transportation of drugs into the jail.
The offenses occurred on or about January 18, April 8, April 12, and May 8 of this year.
The indictment is the latest in a long series of incidents involving the Cuyahoga County Jail. Nine inmates have died at the facility since the start of 2018. The facility has since found itself at the center of a massive scandal involving alleged corruption and mistreatment of inmates. A scathing report from the U.S. Marshals service was followed by a failed state inspection, and numerous lawsuits have been filed accusing operators of denying inmates medical assistance, forcing inmates to sleep on the floor, and even serving food with bugs in it.
