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Corrections Officer Accused Of Smuggling Narcotics Into Escambia Road Prison
April 13, 2021
A corrections officer at the Escambia County road prison has been arrested for allegedly smuggling narcotics in the facility.
Byron Jermaine Banks, age 29 of Molino, was charged with two felony counts of smuggling contraband into a detention facility. He was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $20,000 bond.
Banks is a camera operator at the Escambia County Work Annex, commonly known as the road prison, on Highway 297A in Cantonment. He was allegedly familiar with blind spots in the camera system and used that knowledge to pass narcotics to an inmate.
The inmate, Alexander Maynard, told investigators that he met Banks in a blind spot out of camera view where he handed him a potato chip bag containing methamphetamine, cocaine and spice. Maynard, according to arrest report, had previously been caught by another corrections officer with several grams of synthetic cannabinoids (“spice”), cocaine, and methamphetamine. He told officers that they belonged to another inmate. Maynard was charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of cocaine and smuggling contraband.
According to an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office arrest report, video surveillance showed Banks walk past Maynard. Maynard then follows him to a blind spot for the cameras. When Mayard comes back into view of the camera, it appears he has something in the front of his pants consistent with a potato chip bag, and something in his left hand. Banks then walks back into the camera’s field of view, the arrest report continues.
Banks told investigators that he drove to an address on East Kingsfield Road to pick up the narcotics, the arrest report states. Banks’ other statements were redacted from the report.
Banks’ mugshot is exempt from the release under Florida law due to his status as a corrections officer.
Comments
24 Responses to “Corrections Officer Accused Of Smuggling Narcotics Into Escambia Road Prison”
@addie Hate to tell you, but the law allows LE to “setup” someone that is dealing drugs or committing other crimes!!! Lawyer or not, he’s not getting out of this and will have to answer for his actions.
Yall big on calling this guy a dummy. If he knew where the blind spots were why would he allow himself to be videoed going into the blind spot and the police report states that he told the investigators where he went to pick up the narcotics but the other statements were redacted from the report… WHY? I hope this young man will get him a lawyer because this stinks of a SET UP!!!.
I had a family member that was an addict and I told them I would send them to jail to get help. They told me it was easier to get drugs in jails and prisons then it was on the streets. Guess they were right. i hope justice is served on this individual.
Wow…this was really stupid.. not only did he risk his freedom and his job…if he goes to jail now he is a narc…,you’re screwed… no one is going to trust you now no matter what road you choose to go down…and for what a little extra money,..so dumb..good luck
I hope every dirty CO and LEO gets caught. They make our jobs 100% more difficult. I do not understand the mindset that drives one to turn criminal especially after seeing how much prison sucks
Hey Molino resident…….
Banks said in his statement he drove to east kingsfield road and picked up the narcotics.
Sounds like a FACT !!!
Former inmate, Spoken like an X Con. Probably didn’t get to the canteen enough
@ Danny
First LEO and CO’s job duties are not he same and a CO should make nothing close to the LEOs
COs are literally glorified babysitters. And at Escambia County Jail, trust me they are getting paid exactly what they are worth.
I guess he wanted to see how it was to be on the good side of the law and the bad side of the law.Life is like a box of chocolates,you never know know which one you gonna get…
LEOs and COs don’t get paid crap in Escambia. They should start off at least 60K for the first day in Academy, then increases as they go.
The pennies they get paid is not worth the stress. I’d caution anyone getting into law enforcement or corrections to pick a different career. Not worth the stress…. the jail is severely understaffed and so is the street. Get out now before your cancelled and left out of a job.
@Molino Resident
Reported FACT: “Banks told investigators that he drove to an address on East Kingsfield Road to pick up the narcotics…”
Hope that helps clear up some of the “negativity”
I I remember banks when I was there he ant the brightest bulb in the shed you could tell something was up but wow wonder how he fills now wow you dummy now you got to sell drugs the rest of your life or flip burgers.
Wow all these negative comments without knowing any FACTS!!!
Banks it looks like you really have turned your life around….instead of the DOC paying you to work at a prison we gonna have to pay the bill so you can live inside a prison…
Don’t do it. The inmates will tell on you every time dummies.
A good employee will inform his employer of the blind spots so they can be eliminated. A sorry employee does this. He ended this career, and any chance of another career in this life.
I hate that this happened to Banks and that he felt the need to go to this extent. He will pay for the consequences of his actions. In saying that…I do believe CO’s do not get paid enough to deal with the crap they have to deal with on a daily basis and that they are overlooked. There are still good CO’s out there that risk their lives everyday.
Well hello look at that……..inmates aren’t the only bad apple on the compound! What………..it is an officer! Wonder how many more corrupt and abuse of power officers there are?
Really, now the road crew will have a young new weed wacker.
How convenient for him, he already knows the layout of the place, with any justice he will experience it firsthand, some hard work of cutting weeds or filling potholes. The public should be able to view his mugshot, he betrayed the public trust, now he’s a criminal, nothing more..
Not to smart there Banks…. Now deal with being known for not having neither integrality or character for the rest of your life…. and your family’s name suffers your consequences.
Hopefully Banks’ mugshot can be plastered on this website after his guilty verdict.
Take out the trash
Nothing like trading a career for the title of “felon”. Gotta shake your head at the stupidity of those in the this career field who opt to circumvent protocols for personal gain. You may not get caught the first time, but sooner or later you are going to pay the piper.