NEWS

Inmates indicted on illegal conveyance case

Mark Caudill
Reporter
File photo

MANSFIELD -- Three inmates at Richland Correctional Institution are accused of trying to smuggle a gun and cellphones into the prison.

Keith M. Brown, 28; Justin E. Guyton, 33; and Tyree Jefferys, 23, all have been indicted on 10 counts. The most serious is illegal conveyance of weapons onto the grounds of a specified governmental facility, a third-degree felony, with a gun specification.

They also are charged with nine misdemeanor counts of illegal conveyance of a communications device onto the grounds of a specified governmental facility.

The Richland County Prosecutor's Office released indictments on Wednesday.

The incident in question happened Sept. 20.

"In conjunction with other individuals, they came up with a scheme," Assistant Prosecutor Lillian Shun said. "There were multiple items."

Shun declined to provide details of the plan but relayed how authorities thwarted it.

"The Ohio Highway Patrol was doing a search of the area and found some packages," she said. "It led to the discovery of several individuals who were involved with the plan."

Brown is serving a seven-year sentence for voluntary manslaughter and felonious assault. The offenses occurred in Trumbull County.

Guyton and Jefferys have since been transferred to the Ohio State Penitentiary. Guyton is serving a 16-year sentence with an additional nine years in gun specifications for three counts of aggravated robbery.

Jefferys has an eight-year sentence for two counts of burglary and one count of failure to comply.

Also indicted by a grand jury was Megan R. Kelly, 26, last known address, 1616 Elderberry Court, on two counts of grand theft, 13 counts of theft, two counts of misuse of a credit card and 13 counts of forgery.

"The charges are based on activities that occurred between Jan. 1 and Nov. 23," Shun said.

Shun said there were two victims, both of whom Kelly reportedly knew. The assistant prosecutor said between the fraudulent checks and the credit cards, the thefts in the two cases amounted to about $36,000.

mcaudill@gannett.com

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Twitter: @MNJCaudill