KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A 55-year-old former guard at a juvenile detention facility in Knoxville is facing a felony charge for bringing a phone inside the facility and letting inmates use it, according to the Knox County Sheriff's Office.
Donald Ray Russell, 55, was charged after Richard Bean, the superintendent of the facility, told KCSO about the incident. The sheriff's office said Russell took his personal phone into the facility and let detainees use it inside. Records show that inmates posted photos of themselves to social media wearing jail uniforms.
"They were posing for the photo inside the juvenile detention center's orange pod," court records said.
KCSO said the incident was caught on the facility's cameras. Russell was originally put on leave without pay, but then resigned during the investigation.
Russell faces a charge for bringing contraband in a penal facility. He is expected in court for an arraignment on March 7.
