A Washington Parish Jail inmate recently attempted to bribe a jail deputy into bringing contraband into the jail — leading to additional charges against two inmates as well as two additional arrests, according to Chief Deputy Mike Haley of the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Haley said that on Thursday, an inmate offered a bribe to a Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office Jail Deputy if the officer would agree to bring contraband into the jail. The officer reportedly agreed that he would do it for the right price. The inmate, Demario Warren, 33, then gave the officer a hand-written note containing a phone number and a name, Haley said.

Haley said that the officer immediately reported the bribe to Chief of Corrections Jim Miller and a plan was developed to snare the person who would attempt to introduce contraband into the jail. Meanwhile, inmate telephone monitoring by the jail investigator indicated another inmate, Shamar Markel Alexander, 21, also was involved in the scheme.

Haley said that jail deputies contacted the name at the number provided by Warren and made arrangements for the contraband and money to be exchanged in the Walmart parking lot in Bogalusa. At the pre-arranged site on Friday, the jail deputy was approached by Gregory Mangrum, 32, a resident of Redwood Avenue in Bogalusa. Mangrum provided the deputy with cash and marijuana and then went back to his own vehicle, which was occupied by another person, Tyler Collins, 26, a resident of Riverside Drive in Bogalusa.

“Mangrum was unaware that the entire exchange was being watched by Chief Jim Miller, other jail deputies and members of the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office Drug Task Force,” Haley said. “Once Mangrum attempted to drive off, he was stopped by officers, who discovered a loaded .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol inside their vehicle. Mangrum and Collins were arrested and transported to the Washington Parish Jail.”

Both Mangrum and Collins posted bail and were released from jail Monday. Mangrum faces current charges of criminal conspiracy, distribution of marijuana, possession of a controlled dangerous substance with a weapon present, failure to appear in court and contempt of court. Records indicate Mangrum has been in the Washington Parish Jail on one previous occasion in 2012 for a charge of obtaining possession of a controlled dangerous substance by fraud.

Collins has no previous jail record in Washington Parish. He currently is charged with criminal conspiracy, distribution of marijuana and possession of a controlled dangerous substance with a weapon present.

The two inmates who participated in the conspiracy to introduce the marijuana into the jail remain in jail with additional charges of criminal conspiracy. Warren has been in jail since 2016 on charges of second-degree murder, aggravated assault with a firearm and introduction of contraband into a correctional facility. Alexander has two previous stays in the jail on charges of burglary of an inhabited dwelling, theft of a firearm, and possession of illegal narcotics, Haley said.

“I’ve bragged many times on the outstanding job performance of our patrol deputies, detectives and drug task force officers,” Washington Parish Sheriff Randy Seal said. “Our jail deputies also do an outstanding job. Faced with the prospect of earning some easy money by bringing marijuana into the jail, our jail deputy went directly to Chief Miller and reported the bribe offer.

“This set in motion a detailed plan to arrest the conspirators and bring them to jail where they belong. I commend our jail deputies for a job well done. Too often, they are the overlooked segment of the criminal justice system, but they play a vital role in making certain the system works as it should.

“I am so pleased to have them serve alongside all of our other fine officers as we work daily to identify and arrest those persons who are a threat to the law-abiding citizens of our parish.”