Correctional officer charged with smuggling drugs into Chester County Prison

A correctional officer at the troubled Chester County Prison has been charged with smuggling and selling drugs in the facility, District Attorney Deborah Ryan said Tuesday.

Antoine Williams, 27, of Philadelphia, was charged with multiple felony counts of drug distribution and related offenses. Williams was released on $150,000 unsecured bail — meaning that he was not required to pay anything as long as he did not violate his bail conditions. His next court date is Oct. 18.

“The defendant was hired as [a] correctional officer to uphold the law and keep order in the prison, but he completely violated his position of authority. No one is above the law,” Ryan said in a statement.

“Prison procedures led to the discovery of the distribution of illegal substances and as soon as it was confirmed, staff gathered information on how it could have entered the prison,” Acting Warden Howard Holland said in a statement.

“That information was immediately turned over to the Chester County detectives for investigation. I am proud of the team here at the prison for acting quickly on this matter,” Holland said.

The prison drew international attention after convicted murderer Danilo Cavalcante escaped on Aug. 31 and led law enforcement on a two-week manhunt. Cavalcante was able to climb up to the roof to escape; another inmate used a similar method to escape in May, but was captured moments later.

» READ MORE: A step-by-step look at Danilo Cavalcante’s escape, search, and capture

In a news release, Ryan described the investigation of Williams that began in June:

An inmate told a correctional officer that Williams had been smuggling drugs into the prison and hiding them in small trash bag rolls. The inmate alleged that his former cellmate bought Suboxone from Williams, who was paid through a mobile app.

That same day, a search of a cell block at the prison yielded trash bags in the former cellmate’s cell, Ryan said. The former cellmate submitted a urine sample and tested positive for buprenorphine, also known by the brand-name Suboxone.

Two days later, another inmate told a lieutenant at the prison that Williams was smuggling and selling drugs in the facility, and that Williams allegedly used the former cellmate to distribute the drugs to other inmates.

Security video later showed Williams with a roll of toilet paper and trash bags and placing the trash bags on cell bars, according to Ryan.

The investigation allegedly found that Williams was using the mobile payment app and there were nine different accounts connected to him. He received payments ranging from $50 to $400, Ryan said.

The news release did not say whether Williams was fired. Court records did not list a lawyer representing Williams.