Sunday, June 12, 2011
Corrections Officer Charged With Bringing Contraband Into Jail
A corrections officer at the Lawrence County 
Detention Center was incarcerated last week, his employment terminated, when officials determined he had been smuggling contraband into the jail for inmates.
Officials with the Lawrence County Sheriff’s 
Department report that Corrections Officer Adam Cozart, age 24, was charged Thursday after it was discovered that he had a package in his possession that contained tobacco, eight Percocet pills, ¼ ounce of marijuana and rolling papers.
Authorities report an investigation had been initiated, and that when Cozart reported for his shift Wednesday he was confronted about whether he had been transporting contraband for prisoners.
Cozart initially denied having committed the crime, however officials say when he was asked to empty his pockets, he admitted he had a package on his person containing tobacco, that he was to deliver to inmates Harvey Lance and Terry Gibson.
When the package was opened, however, officers found that it contained the other contraband, as well.
According to reports, Cozart confessed to meeting a girlfriend of one of the inmates to pick up the package. He indicated he had made a delivery to the same inmates on at least one other occasion. Cozart told officers that on both occasions he was paid $25.
Cozart was arrested on charges that include possession of marijuana, possession of a Schedule II controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and two counts of introduction of contraband into a penal facility.
Cozart’s 1997 Chevrolet truck was seized due it being used to facilitate the transaction. He was subsequently incarcerated at the Maury County Jail.
Other charges also resulted from the investigation. The girlfriend, Hope Coffman, age 27 of Lance Road was arrested on charges of introduction of contraband into a penal facility, simple possession of marijuana, casual exchange of schedule II narcotics, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Both Gibson, 23, and Lance, 32, were charged with one count of introduction of contraband into a penal facility.
Investigation into the matter is currently on-going through the department’s Criminal Investigation Division.
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