Corrections Officer Arrested for Allegedly Bringing Contraband to Jail Inside Cheetos Bag

Sheriff's Deputies have arrested a 19-year-old correctional officer for allegedly bringing contraband to work at the Bowie County Correctional Center in Texarkana. The Bowie County Sheriff's Office reports that shortly after midnight this morning, correctional officer Matthew Lee Newman of Hooks, Texas, 19, was returning to work after taking a break from his job at the Bowie County Correctional Center located on West Front Street in downtown Texarkana.

Correctional Officer Melanie Franklin, who was working in the front lobby of the correctional center conducted a routine search of Officer Newman prior to him re-entering the facility. During the search, Officer Franklin noticed that Officer Newman was carrying an open bag of Cheetos Puffs and asked to look in the bag. Inside the chip bag was a purple object that Officer Franklin reportedly saw at the bottom of the bag.

Raising her suspicions, she emptied the bag of Cheetos Puffs onto a paper towel and an object wrapped in purple duct tape allegedly fell out. Officer Franklin immediately notified her supervisors, who found that this object contained tobacco and marijuana, according to sheriff's officials.

Authorities then called Bowie County Deputy Chris Sutherland to the Correctional Center where he arrested Newman for Prohibited Substance in a Correctional Facility. Newman was booked into the Bi-State Jail where his bond was later set at $15,000 by Judge Nancy Talley.

The investigation into this matter by the Bowie County Sheriff's Office is ongoing.