West News Wire: A governmental inquiry into corruption at the prison he oversaw led to the imprisonment of a prison warden in Georgia.
According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Brian Dennis Adams was detained on Wednesday and charged with bribery, conspiring to break Georgia’s anti-racketeering legislation, making false statements, and breaking his oath of office.
Adams, 48, of Waycross was let go by the state Department of Corrections from his position as warden of Smith State Prison in southeast Georgia.
Tyrone Oliver, the commissioner of the GDC, said in a statement, “While we are disheartened to learn of the actions of former Warden Adams, our commitment to maintaining a zero-tolerance policy for individuals who choose to disregard their oath and jeopardize our non-negotiable mission of public safety applies to every level in the GDC.
Adams’ arrest comes months after GBI agents began investigating allegations of corruption inside the prison in Glennville, about 60 miles (100 kilometers) west of Savannah, the bureau said in a news release. That investigation began in May after an inmate was charged with smuggling contraband and conspiring in a 2021 murder outside the prison.
The GBI gave no further details about what led to Adams’ arrest.
Jail records showed Adams remained behind bars Thursday at the Tattnall County jail on a $40,000 bond. It was not immediately known if Adams has an attorney who can speak on his behalf.
