MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT) -- A Rutherford County Sheriff’s deputy has been fired after he allegedly smuggled contraband, including marijuana, to inmates in the county jail.
In a press statement released Wednesday morning, Sheriff Robert Arnold said he terminated Deputy Keith Knowles May 10. Arnold intends to present evidence in the case to the district attorney’s office for possible prosecution.
Officers, including K-9 units, searched all 800 inmates and the entire jail for contraband. Cigarettes and other tobacco products were recovered.
The incident is just one of several the department has experienced in recent months. In March, a Sheriff’s deputy was arrested by DEA agents in Nashville for allegedly conspiring to distribute cocaine.
In February a deputy was arrested for allegedly trying to extort Sheriff Arnold and two deputies resigned after being arrested on DUI charges.