Corrections officer Joeisha Cofer was arrested for allegedly bringing drugs to an inmate while on duty.
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What led to the arrest of Joeisha Cofer
Joeisha Cofer was arrested while on duty after she was accused of delivering drugs to inmates at the St. Louis Justice Center’s Medium Security Institution. Before her arrest, Cofer worked at the correctional facility for four years. She is currently sitting behind bars at her former workplace. Inmate Anthony Chatman also faces similar charges.
Text messages dating to October 23, 2021, showed Cofer and Chatman discussing their plans on how to transport the drugs along with footage showing the former corrections officer interacting with someone in a vehicle and bringing multiple items to Chatman’s cell. In November 2021, there were two non-fatal overdoses of inmates, and correction officers found 33 fentanyl pills in Chatman’s cell during a search. Cofer claims she brought the fentanyl pills to Chatman twice during an interview with police.
A statement was also released by Commissioner Clemons Abdullah who said an internal investigation was launched months ago, leading to Cofer’s subsequent arrest.
“The Corrections Division initiated an internal investigation several months ago in the City Justice Facilities. This investigation resulted in an arrest of a correctional officer.”
Chatman was held at the jail for 13 charges in connection to a shooting on May 18, 2021. Two women and three children were in a vehicle when the shooting took place. The women were struck by the bullets but police said the children were not harmed. His charges were first-degree assault, five counts of armed criminal action, unlawful use of a weapon, and unlawful possession of a firearm as reported by KSDK.
Chatman was also convicted on a felony robbery charge for an incident in 2016.
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Investigators claim Cofer brought in contraband which included drugs and possibly fentanyl. The drugs were brought into a lab for testing to confirm which drugs did she bring into the correctional facility.
A correction officer was also arrested for allowing inmates to brutally attack another one.
FOX 2 Now also reported that this is the second incident involving a St. Louis jail employee. Former corrections officer Demeria Thomas was arrested for allowing an inmate attack and she faces sentencing later this month. Back in February, Thomas pleaded guilty to her role in the attack on an inmate. Video footage from last June showed Thomas speaking with two inmates before the attack. She then presses a button to open another cell. The victim sustained a concussion, a broken jaw, and broken teeth.
In the aftermath of the attack, Thomas is seen closing the door on the injured inmate who reportedly waited days for medical treatment. She also acknowledged in court that she prevent other inmates from assisting the victim. The FBI was also involved in the investigation. Thomas was fired last year for the attack and she also faces assault charges in St. Louis after a judge allowed her to take a vacation in Orlando, Florida, and Puerto Rico. She faces up to ten years in prison.