A pill-popping former prison guard in Texas, faces time behind bars for slipping soft taco shells with hacksaw blades hidden inside to a jailed double-murder suspect. Hit the jump to rad the rest of the story.
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Alfred Casas, 31, was convicted Tuesday of bribery and providing the escape elements to inmate Jacob Keller at the Bexar County Jail. He smuggled the contraband to Keller in exchange for stashes of Xanax.
The disgraced guard was busted after prison officials at the San Antonio jail found a hacksaw blade, knotted bed sheets and an inmate jumpsuit dyed to look like street clothes in Keller’s cell during a surprise inspection in December 2009.
Casas, 31, admitted to tossing Keller a few tacos to snack on in December 2009, but said they were stuffed with chorizo and eggs, not sawblades, authorities said.
But Keller’s girlfriend testified during Casas’ trial that she twice met with him to give him tacos and the anti-anxiety medication as payment.
Casas faces up to 30 years in prison, and will be sentenced on Wednesday.
“He sold his integrity for a couple bottles of pills,” Bexar County prosecutor Jasmes Ishimoto said.
Keller is awaiting trial on capital murder charges.
Casas wasn’t the jail’s only bad apple.
His conviction was the third time in three months a guard at the Bexar County clink has been convicted of smuggling items to inmates in food.
On Monday, a former jailer was sentenced to five years for sneaking a cell phone to an inmate in a box of ramen noodles, the San Antonio Express-News reported.
In May, a 20-year veteran was sentenced to six years for trying to smuggle heroin to inmates using tacos.
State District Judge Sid Harle said the jail needed to change its policy on allowing guards to bring in food.
