A former Richmond County Sheriff deputy jailer arrested and fired in December during an investigation into smuggling at the jail has been indicted.
The Richmond County grand jury returned an indictment Tuesday, May 3, for Jackie J. Campbell, 35. It charges Campbell with the crimes of violation oath by public officer and theft by possession stolen mail.
Campbell, of Augusta, is free on bond. He was first hired by the sheriff’s department as a temporary officer in April 2019, according to county salary data.
Three other officers charged and fired at the same time as are accused of smuggling in items for inmates, but Campbell is accused of intercepting and withholding legal mail and other correspondence between March 10 and Dec. 12, 2021.
According to the indictment, Campbell also allegedly retained mail from inmates at the Charles B. Webster Detention Center that was addressed to three different addresses. A search of the addresses reveals they were the Fulton County Public Defender’s office in Atlanta, the Castle Pines Mobile Home Park in Augusta and a single-family home in Jackson, S.C.
According to an earlier report in The Augusta Press, Campbell and three other deputy jailers were charged after an investigation into contraband at the jail. During searches of the jail where nearly 1,000 people are confined, officers found weapons, cell phoned, drugs and tobacco.
Sandy Hodson is a staff reporter covering courts for The Augusta Press. Reach her at sandy@theaugustapress.com.
