A former Georgia prison officer was sentenced to more than seven years in prison after being found guilty of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and bribery.
Nicholas Grindle, 32, was employed as a guard at Hays State Prison in Trion, Georgia, and smuggled methamphetamine and other contraband in to inmates, according to a news release from the United States Department of Justice. He was sentenced Monday.
In the sentencing hearing, Grindle falsely claimed he had been injured in combat during his military service, using the claims to ask for mercy from the court.
Grindle was deployed to Afghanistan during his time in the Army. He claimed during the hearing that he had been stabbed in the shoulder by a Taliban fighter and then killed the fighter, but his military records and letters from former members of his unit confirmed that his claims were false, according to the release.
“Grindle violated his oath of office by smuggling drugs into a prison he swore to protect,” Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie Jr., said in the release. “He then compounded this crime by lying about his military service.”
He was caught when fellow officers found the drugs, cell phones and other restricted materials in his locker, according to the release.
— Compiled by Kailee Shores