An inmate and a former sheriff’s deputy at the DeKalb County Jail were indicted in unrelated cases this week that each involved illegal contraband within the facility’s guard lines.
In one case, an inmate was accused of providing fentanyl to another inmate who died of an overdose, DeKalb District Attorney Sherry Boston said in a statement. The death was previously shrouded in mystery, leading the victim’s family to loudly express frustration over the county’s lack of transparency and call for a speedy autopsy.
After the investigation took about eight months, Boston announced Thursday afternoon the indictment of 45-year-old Tobias Woods on multiple counts, including felony murder. He is accused of supplying the deadly drug to 27-year-old Christon Collins, a U.S. Army veteran whose family said he suffered from mental health issues.
According to the DA’s office, Woods also tried to cover up Collins’ overdose in order to protect himself, preventing Collins from receiving medical care when it may have saved his life. Collins was found suffering an unnamed medical emergency in his cell on March 13, Boston said. The inmate’s mother, Jonia Milburn, said she was told medical personnel could not detect a pulse when they began to treat Collins.
He was taken to the hospital and died two days later, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported. He had been arrested and released twice in the weeks leading up to his third and final stint in the DeKalb jail. Collins died after he had been booked on charges of obstruction and simple battery. Milburn said Collins’ mental health struggles were well-known to law enforcement and Veterans Affairs officials.
“My son was sick,” Milburn said in March. “He was diagnosed. He needed treatment.”
In a statement Thursday, Boston provided a measure of clarity that Milburn and local activists had requested in the weeks after Collins’ death.
According to the DA, surveillance video showed Collins stumbling around the common area of his assigned “pod.” He can be seen slumping against the wall and falling, apparently hitting his head in the process. Woods and other inmates moved Collins to a mattress, then Woods dragged Collins back to his cell, out of sight of jailers. It wasn’t until 7:40 p.m. that jail staff found Collins unresponsive and called paramedics.
In addition to felony murder, Woods was indicted on two counts of distributing controlled substances and one count of possessing an inmate-prohibited item, Boston said.
The second indictment involved a former jailer who was fired and arrested after investigators discovered she was in an inappropriate relationship with an inmate, the DA’s office said.
Joann Marks, 27, was indicted on one count of first-degree sexual contact by an employee, one count of providing items prohibited for possession by inmates and two counts of violation of oath of a public officer.
The DA said the investigation into Marks began when jail employees found a contraband cellphone and cigarettes in an inmate’s cell in April. Investigators interviewed Marks, who admitted to providing the items and having sex with the inmate, according to Boston. Marks was fired and arrested the same day.
Marks bonded out of jail the day after her arrest, according to online records. She turned herself back in Thursday morning following her indictment and was again released on bond. Marks’ arraignment is scheduled for Dec. 23. The case will be prosecuted by the DA’s anti-corruption unit, Boston said.
