Charges filed against lieutenant while correction officers search entire prison

Local News

July 7, 2007

By James Beaty The McAlester News-Capital Sat Jul 07, 2007, 04:09 PM CDT

A massive shakedown of inmates at Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester remained under way on Friday and was expected to continue through the weekend in the wake of felony drug charges filed against a lieutenant at the prison.

“They’re going to shake down the whole institution,” Department of Corrections spokesman Jerry Massey said late Friday afternoon when asked about reports of a flurry of activity at OSP.

Massey said correctional officers have been called in from other prisons around the state to assist in the shakedown, meaning a search of inmates and their cells for contraband.

“They’re looking for any contraband inmates aren’t supposed to have,” Massey said.

Approximately 1,400 inmates are incarcerated at the prison, Massey said.

“They’ve already completed a search of the H Unit,” Massey said Friday. “They’ll do the rest of the facility over the next day or so.”

Massy said several homemade knives had been found as of around 5 p.m. on Friday.

Asked why correctional officers had been ordered to search the entire prison, Massey said “Because of the arrest yesterday.”

Massey referred to the arrest of Lt. Marion Bess, 43, who has addresses listed from rural McAlester and from Savanna on jail and court documents.

As a lieutenant, he had been a shift supervisor on the prison’s H Unit, which includes Death Row and administrative segregation, according to Massey.

DOC Internal Affairs officers arrested Bess on Thursday and booked him into the Pittsburg County Jail. The arrest of Bess has been linked to more than 30 individuals, many of whom who were arrested during a drug crackdown in April, according to documents filed in Pittsburg County District Court.

Wearing leg irons and handcuffs, Bess stood before Special District Judge Bill Layden at the Pittsburg County Courthouse for an initial appearance arraignment on the charges on Friday afternoon.

Bess is charged with conspiracy to deliver/manufacture/ possess a controlled dangerous substance, methamphetamine.

He is also charged with unlawful use of a communication facility, in this case, a telephone, between the dates of Dec. 5, 2006, and Jan. 6, in committing the act of conspiracy to deliver a controlled dangerous substance, methamphetamine.

Bess pleaded innocent to both charges during the Friday court action. His attorney, Warren Gotcher, stood nearby, while Assistant District Attorney Mike Miller represented the prosecution.

Layden set bond at $5,000 and scheduled a preliminary hearing conference for July 13. Bess bonded out of the Pittsburg County Jail later Friday afternoon.

Bess officially remained a Department of Corrections employee as of 3:30 p.m. on Friday afternoon.

Asked about the matter, DOC spokesman Massey said “He has not been placed on leave.

“He’s on unauthorized absence.”

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