FROSTPROOF, Fla. — Two Polk County detention employees have resigned and been arrested after the sheriff's office says they conspired to bring contraband into the South County Jail in Frostproof.
Investigators say 25-year-old Austin Guy was a civilian detention support specialist, and 23-year-old Katheryn Krzyzanski was a civilian food service specialist. Had they not resigned, authorities say they would have been fired.
An investigation began on March 4 when detention deputies say they found smokeless tobacco in the inmate trusty dormitory, and eight inmates had contraband.
Detectives say Guy coordinated with at inmate at least seven times to buy cans of smokeless tobacco between February and March. According to the sheriff's office, Guy would hide the contraband in a spot where 36-year-old inmate Herbert N. Williams could retrieve it and sell the tobacco to other inmates.
"During these incidents, inmate Williams would contact people outside the jail to put money on Guy’s CashApp so that Guy would buy the tobacco," the sheriff's office wrote in a news release.
Guy, of Winter Haven, is charged with seven counts of each of the following: conspiracy to commit unlawful compensation for official behavior, unlawful compensation for official behavior, and accepting a bribe as a public servant.
Authorities say Williams was arrested by the Polk County Sheriff's Office in 2019 for meth and drug paraphernalia possession, along with violations of probation. He is now being charged with 27 different counts, including ones related to conspiracy and bribery of a public servant.
The sheriff's office says Krzyzanski also conspired with Williams at least twice and was paid through CashApp to buy contraband, including smokeless tobacco. Krzyzanski, of Sebring, faces two counts of each of the following: conspiracy to commit unlawful compensation for official behavior, unlawful compensation for official behavior, and accepting a bribe as a public servant.
Guy and Krzyzanski were arrested Tuesday.
“This is a great example of how our system of checks and balances works at the Polk County Jail. When inappropriate actions were discovered, supervision and detectives immediately took action to arrest those responsible," Sheriff Grady Judd wrote in a statement.
Guy and Krzyzanski were both hired in November 2019.
The sheriff's office said a cell phone was also "possibly" illegally brought into the jail. The case is still under investigation.
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