Florida corrections officer arrested after putting vape cartridges in inmate trash cans: detectives
LAKE COUNTY, Fla. - A Florida corrections officer was arrested Tuesday night after he was caught leaving vape cartridges in trash cans accessible to inmates, according to an arrest affidavit.
Bailey Lennon, 25, faces one count of introducing contraband into a county detention facility.
On May 25, an inmate tipped the detention facility off about the possibility of Lennon providing cigarette cartridges to inmates.
The inmate described that Lennon would sneak the cartridges in and then place them in the staff bathroom trash can and the trash can under his desk, which was located in the pod with the inmates. The inmate who gave the tip was able to recover a cartridge from another inmate and give it to another deputy in the facility.
A week later another inmate came forward and provided the same information to detectives. Detectives then told the inmate to let them know when another cartridge was placed in the trash can.
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From June 16 to June 18, the inmate found a cartridge in the trash watch day for a total of three.
After reviewing camera footage, Lennon was seen going into the staff bathroom several times throughout his shift.
On June 21 deputies conducted several sweeps of the bathroom and eventually found a cartridge left in the trash can after Lennon was in there.
According to the arrest affidavit, after Lennon was approached and interviewed, he lied multiple times but eventually told detectives he intentionally placed the cartridges in the trash can. Lennon also admitted that he knew inmates had access to that area, and had no intention of removing them.
In May, Lennon got in trouble for a similar situation where inmates "stole" cartridges from his bag but didn't report it. Another deputy was able to recover the cartridges and reprimanded Lennon calling him "reckless".
Detectives were able to arrest Lennon with the evidence collected. Lennon has since been released on a $2,000 bond.