A jail nurse was arrested this week after she allegedly tried to smuggle contraband items, including cellphones and drugs, to inmates, the Clayton County sheriff said.
Geraldine Layura Moore took a plastic bag of the banned items into the jail and placed it in a trash bin that inmates frequently clean, Sheriff Levon Allen said. Then, Moore walked away from the bag. Investigators then seized the bag and Moore’s possessions, which included Percocet pills, Allen said.
Inside the nurse’s vehicle, investigators found two firearms and additional drugs with the help of a police dog, Allen said.
Moore was the latest in a string of jail employees in metro Atlanta to be arrested in recent weeks and at least the sixth at the Clayton jail.
Allen has previously said the arrests were part of “Operation Clean House.”
“I would rather have one good deputy than 100 crooked ones,” Allen said. “I won’t stop until I get every last one of them out of my agency.”
Credit: Clayton County Sheriff's Office
Credit: Clayton County Sheriff's Office
“There is nothing you can do to hide, you will be found,” Allen said in a news release. “Play silly games and you will win silly prizes.”
Moore, 36, of Douglasville, was arrested late Tuesday and charged with crossing a guard line with drugs, violation of Georgia’s controlled substance act, drug possession, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and possession of drug-related objects, jail records show. She was being held without bond Wednesday afternoon.
“Years of schooling down the drain for felony charges to aide inmates,” Allen said. “More charges and terminations are forthcoming for additional employees.”
According to the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office, Moore became certified as a licensed practical nurse in April 2019.
Last month, the sheriff said he ordered the arrest of a contractor, Iyana Dixon, for financial transaction card fraud and theft, accusing her of stealing an inmate’s credit card and using it at a Macy’s. No details were released about how she allegedly gained access to the inmate’s card.
A day later, the sheriff said a fellow contractor, Sarai Ali, was arrested for allegedly aiding wanted people, sharing confidential information and encouraging people to steal from inmates. She has been charged with being a party to a crime and obstructing or hindering law enforcement officers.
Correctional Officer Sean Hollinshead, according to Allen, was taken into custody in May for his alleged role in a “vicious attack” on an inmate and charged with criminal negligence and violation of his oath of office.
Also in May, Officer Tabitha Clifton and nurse Jessica Castellanos were arrested after they were accused of giving inmates prohibited items, the sheriff said.
In June, a detention officer with the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office was fired and arrested after he was accused of using excessive force during an inmate exchange with Alpharetta police, officials said.
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