A Rowan County Sheriff’s Office detention officer smuggled drugs to inmates into a North Carolina jail and was paid by criminals to do it. Now the detention officer is without a job and is an inmate after being arrested and fired on July 11, 2018 for his actions.
In June 2018, the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office began its investigation of Raymond Moore, 32, a detention officer working in the main Rowan County Detention Center. The investigation began when the State Bureau of Investigation charged a man with shooting a police officer in Statesville. During that investigation, the SBI learned there was marijuana inside the jail.
Reports from Fox 8 News show that investigators discovered that Moore was bringing drugs, tobacco, and lighters into the jail and giving the products to inmates for a preset fee. Moore purportedly arraigned with inmates in the jail to meet with outsiders at various locations in Rowan county to get the contraband, it was there that Moore was paid by the outsiders.
After reviewing video surveillance in the detention center and interviewing inmates, a search warrant was obtained on Wednesday for Moore, his vehicle, and his home. Evidence found during the search confirmed that Moore was smuggling contraband into the jail and providing it to as many as four inmates, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Moore was immediately arrested. On at least five occasions, the contraband smuggled was marijuana.
Chief Deputy David Ramsey said this concerning the situation:
“Basically the way the scheme worked, he would be given contact information from people on the outside, he would go meet these individuals, receive the contraband to be smuggled back into the jail and was being paid for it by the people on the outside.”
Moore was hired in February 2018 after serving in the United States military.
Upon Moore’s arrest, he was immediately terminated and officially charged with conspiracy to deliver marijuana, delivery of marijuana, possess with intent to deliver marijuana, and providing marijuana at the Rowan County Detention Center.
Moore was taken to the Iredell County Detention Center where bond was set at $40,000.
