PAWNEE COUNTY –A Kansas man convicted of felony trafficking contraband into a correctional facility by an employee is not going to prison.
On Thursday, District Judge Bruce Gatterman sentenced 52-year-old Jessie Smith II to a suspended prison term of 32 months and placed him on 36 months probation with Court Services supervision, according to Pawnee County Attorney Doug McNett.
Smith entered a Guilty plea to the charges on January 18.
On August 13, 2023, during a random search of employees as they entered the Larned State Correctional Facility, Smith was found to be in possession of 63.0 grams of methamphetamine and 252 grams of tobacco. He was arrested without incident following an internal investigation by the Kansas Department of Corrections.
At the sentencing hearing, Smith apologized for his mistake and requested the Court place him on probation arguing that his mistake has cost him his nearly thirty year career in the security field, that he was pressured by individuals outside the facility to bring the contraband in, and that he did not pose a danger to the public. He also noted ongoing health concerns.
The State argued the Court should deny the request for leniency as the defendant violated the position of trust he had been placed in, and that his actions put the staff and inmates in the facility at risk
LSCF Warden Timoth Easley testified at the sentencing hearing that his facility experienced only four inmates under the influence of intoxicants in the three months following Smith’s arrest, as compared to nearly ninety such incidents in the preceding three month period. Warden Easley further testified that the lack of intoxicant related incidents correlated to significantly fewer acts of violence within the facility.
In granting the defendant’s request for probation, Judge Gatterman noted the defendant’s behavior while on bond, and that the risk assessment tools utilized in the presentence investigation reflected that Smith did not pose a community safety risk
Smith has been on supervised bond release since August 17, 2023.