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December 12, 2008

Cell phones found in Beaumont prison

By Sherry Koonce

BEAUMONT —

By Sherry Koonce

The News staff writer

Four inmates in Jefferson County correctional facilities have been indicted for having cell phones inside prison walls.

The four, Jose Angel Cisneros, 43; Juan Moron-Solis, 38; Danile Ray Bordelon, 45; and Joshua Jerome Green, 24, are incarcerated in the GEO Facility, at 1001 Pearl St., Beaumont.

Located in Jefferson County’s old jail, the facility now houses Texas Department of Criminal Justice inmates, U.S. Marshall inmates. All incarcerated in the 332-bed facility have committed felonies.

The cell phones were discovered by prison guards during inspections on Nov. 3 through Nov. 7.

In October, Texas Gov. Rick Perry directed the Texas Board of Criminal Justice to take immediate action to increase prison security after his office learned of a death row inmate's threatening cell phone calls to the public. A guard allegedly accepted a bribe to deliver a cell phone to the convicted murderer, according to the governor’s Web site.

The governor directed the board to immediately lock down the entire prison system, search all inmates, staff and visitors and seize any contraband while issuing a statement of zero tolerance for anyone caught moving contraband within the prison.

The governor's directive resulted from revelations of a TDCJ investigation into reports of a death row inmate's procurement of a cell phone and placement of more than 2,800 phone calls over the past 30 days, according to the Web site.

If convicted of the crimes, the inmates’ current sentences could be lengthened. The offense of prohibited item in a correctional facility, a third degree felony, carries a sentenced o two to 10 years in prison, Harry Lewis, assistant criminal district attorney in Jefferson County, said.















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