Jailers accused of giving inmates contraband fired

BROWNWOOD, Texas (AP) - Three Brown County jailers accused of giving inmates snuff and cell phone access have been fired, authorities said.

Jason Behler, 21, of May, and Josh Crowder, 19, of Early, turned themselves in Monday and are charged with prohibited substances in a correctional facility. Behler is free on $15,000 bond on one count, and Crowder is free on $30,000 bond on two counts.

Anthony Spivey, 37, was arrested last month on one charge of prohibited substances in a correctional facility and is free on $15,000 bond.

A phone call to the Brown County Jail seeking information on attorneys for the men wasn't immediately returned Wednesday.

"We would be wrong if we tried to sweep it under the carpet and act like it didn't happen," Brown County Sheriff Bobby Grubbs said in Wednesday's editions of the Brownwood Bulletin. "That's not what we do."

Last month, Spivey was featured in an article as one of several Sheriff's Office employees honored by Grubbs for their National Guard service and previous deployments to Iraq.

They were scheduled for a second tour of duty, but Spivey will not go now because of the criminal charges, sheriff's investigator Scott Bird said.

A few days after giving out the awards, sheriff's officials received information that jailers may have been involved in illegal acts, Grubbs said. He said investigators did not initially publicize the investigation after arresting Spivey because they did not want to alert other jailers who might have been involved.

Grubbs said sheriff's officials tell new jailers to treat inmates fairly and humanely "but we still have to keep a wall between us." No matter how friendly they might seem, inmates "are on the other team," Grubbs told the Bulletin.

Two inmates have also been arrested.

Harold Johnson, 33, of Crosby, was charged with prohibited substances in a correctional facility. Johnson is currently at a state prison unit for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, jail records show.

Pancho Villarreal, 20, of Brownwood was charged with criminal attempt-prohibited substance in a correctional facility. Villarreal remains in the Brown County Jail on two motions to revoke probation.