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Washington Parish Jail inmate Thomas Alsobrooks II, 30, who has been incarcerated since March for various drug offenses, was arrested again by Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office corrections deputies on Monday, according to WPSO Chief Deputy Mike Haley.

Haley said that the arrest was the result of an investigation by corrections deputies and narcotics detectives after Alsobrooks approached a corrections deputy and offered him several hundred dollars if he would bring “legal mail” to Alsobrooks. The deputy was informed that a female would bring the “legal mail” and payment to the deputy at a later date.

After the offer was reported to his supervisor and to Chief of Corrections Jim Miller, the deputy was instructed to accept the offer from Alsobrooks, Haley said. As arranged, a partial payment was made to the corrections deputy and arrangements were made to transfer the “legal mail” and the remainder of the payment at a particular time in a disclosed location.

The corrections deputy met the female at the disclosed location and received a bag containing the “legal mail.” Unbeknownst to the courier of the “legal mail,” the entire transaction was being recorded on audio and video, Haley said. Once the transaction was complete, the courier and her driver left the scene.

Haley said that a corrections deputy and a narcotics detective were waiting nearby, and they then intercepted the delivery vehicle and arrested both occupants, identified as Kathernie E. Miller, 29, a resident of Gordon Road, and Brandon Lee Kephart, 27, a resident of Stephanie Lane in Covington. A search of their vehicle yielded drug paraphernalia and hypodermic needles. The “legal mail” was heroin, Haley said.

Deputies returned to the jail and arrested Alsobrooks, whose listed address is Avenue B in Bogalusa, for introduction of contraband.

Haley said that Alsobrooks is familiar with the inside of the Washington Parish Jail, having been arrested at least four previous times. In 2019, he was charged with possession of heroin and other illegal drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia. Two times in 2020 he was arrested for failure to appear in court. His latest arrest was in March of this year, when he was jailed for possession to distribute illegal drugs, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and traffic offenses.

Haley said that Miller has a previous stay in the Washington Parish Jail. In February, she was arrested and charged with possession of heroin and other illegal drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia. Her current charges are distribution of heroin, possession of drug paraphernalia and introduction of contraband.

Kephart also has a previous stay in the Washington Parish Jail, Haley said. In February, he was charged with possession of marijuana and contempt of court. His current charges are distribution of heroin, possession of drug paraphernalia, introduction of contraband, contempt of court and having no driver’s license.

“Our corrections deputy demonstrated exceptional professional integrity when he immediately reported the attempted bribe to his supervisors,” Washington Parish Sheriff Randy Seal said. “While there may be some persons who are willing to compromise for a few hundred dollars, this deputy is not one of those. I applaud him for initiating and then carrying through this attempt to introduce drugs into the jail. Our other cooperating corrections deputies and narcotics detective did an excellent job and I am so pleased.

“There are so many dynamics in law enforcement, and corrections is one facet of the job that is often overlooked; however, the men and women who supervise our jail 24 hours per day do an excellent job under very difficult circumstances.”