'This cannot happen again': Former deputy sentenced for smuggling marijuana into jail
A former corrections officer at the Hamilton County Justice Center who officials said smuggled in "packages" containing marijuana, tobacco as well as unknown things was sentenced Thursday to 18 months in prison.
During the sentencing in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court, Chief Deputy Jay Gramke, who oversees the jail, said Jason Robinson's actions "endangered every single person in that jail."
Robinson told investigators that he didn't know everything contained in the packages he was smuggling into the facility − which Gramke said made it extremely dangerous.
"He took an oath. He violated that oath," Gramke told Judge Wende Cross. "You need to send a message that this is unacceptable, this cannot happen again."
In sentencing Robinson, 23, who worked at the jail for only six months, Cross said he had abused his position of trust.
"It saddens me that as a young man with a very, very bright future, that you would abuse your position," she said.
Robinson was described by his youth pastor as a "responsible" and "exemplary young person." His attorney, Clyde Bennett II, said what happened was the exception in a law-abiding life. Bennett said Robinson immediately accepted responsibility and understood the wrongfulness of what he did.
When given a chance to speak, Robinson offered apologies to many, including his family, church members and Gramke.
"I made a decision," he said, "that's probably going to cost me my life, at this point."
Court documents say Robinson was smuggling things including marijuana, tobacco and food into the jail. When he was detained in April 2022 and questioned by internal affairs deputies, court documents say, a “small pack of marijuana” was found inside a bag he carried that day into the jail.
He was subsequently fired.
The investigation began after other corrections officers said they believed someone was bringing drugs into the facility, Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey has previously said. McGuffey said Robinson was "compromised" by an inmate and that Robinson was getting paid in exchange.
Robinson pleaded guilty last month to two felony charges: illegal conveyance of drugs into a governmental facility and trafficking in marijuana.
After the hearing, Bennett said he respected Cross's sentence.
"Mr. Robinson is a great young man who still has a bright future," Bennett said. "He was looking at eight years in prison. The 18-month sentence gives him a chance to salvage his life."
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ex-deputy sentenced for smuggling marijuana into Hamilton County jail
