Former corrections officer sentenced in Cañon City prison contraband case
CAÑON CITY — A former state correctional officer accused of attempting to bring drugs into a medium-security Fremont prison was sentenced Tuesday to two years probation after pleading guilty to a felony contraband charge.
Kyle Gotham Tatro, 33, of Colorado Springs, initially was charged with first-degree introduction of contraband in July 2021 after he was accused of attempting to bring methamphetamine and opiates into the prison. Tatro was working as a correctional officer for the Colorado Department of Corrections at the time.
He was sentenced in Fremont County District Court to two years probation and ordered to work 100 hours of community service.
Initially, an informant alerted authorities that Tatro was expected to bring contraband into Fremont Correctional Facility in Cañon City on June 25, 2021, according to an arrest affidavit. When confronted by authorities upon his arrival at the prison, Tatro reportedly handed over a clear, quart-size plastic bag that contained four plastic pens.
According to the affidavit, one pen contained 5.9 grams of a white, crystal-like substance that field-tested positive for methamphetamine; two pens contained 19.7 grams of a dark tar-like substance that tested positive for opiates and the fourth pen contained nine small blue pills that were identified as Oxycodone.
During an interview with authorities, Tatro reportedly said he had agreed to bring in the pens and was paid $250 to deliver them. He allegedly admitted to being paid $340 cash the first time he brought drugs into the prison.
Tatro “knew it was wrong and illegal to do so," according to the affidavit. He reportedly described a financial hardship due to COVID-19 and said he put $100 of the first payment toward a vacation and used the other $240 to buy a remote-controlled car.
Tatro started working for the DOC in 2019. He was initially placed on administrative leave but is no longer working for the department, said Annie Skinner, public information officer for the DOC.
Prior to the incident, his salary was $4,368 monthly, Skinner said.
More on the case:DOC officer charged with bringing contraband into Fremont prison
Chieftain reporter Tracy Harmon covers business news. She can be reached by email at tharmon@chieftain.com or via Twitter at twitter.com/tracywumps.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Former prison guard sentenced in Cañon City contraband case
