Cellular phones smuggled into prisons are nuisances for law enforcers and prison management. This particular contraband has been so prevalent in prison systems that even the mass murderer had one under his mattress.
The orchestrator of one of the most notorious killing rampage in US History, Charles Manson, had a cellular phone under his mattress. He used his phone to talk to people in different states like California, New Jersey, and Florida.
Cellular Phones Found in Charles Manson’s Prison Cell
In 2009, prison authorities found an LG flip phone in Charles Manson’s cell during routine inspections. Allegedly, Manson could already use the phone before it was even discovered. The California Department of Corrections spokeswoman, Terry Thornton, reported this incident to local news channels.
According to Thornton, the elderly Manson made calls and sent text messages to unknown people in California, New Jersey, Florida, and British Columbia in Canada. Thornton further mentions that they are uncertain if Manson’s communication to these people were crime-related.
In 2011, prison authorities found another phone in Manson’s prison cell during a routine inspection. It was the second cellular phone in two years. And in 2013, a Manson fan, Craig Carlisle Hammond, was caught trying to smuggle a cellular phone during his visit to the notorious killer. Hammond was arrested but was ultimately released on a $30,000 bail. (Source: YC News)
Other Criminals with Cellular Phones in Prison
We constantly see it in prison movies, how contraband is smuggled in. While in real life, it might be tougher to sneak in a phone baked in a cake, here is a list of some other criminals caught with a cellular device in their cells.
Justin Walker
In 2010, a prisoner named Justin Walker was caught updating his status and posting photos to his Facebook account – while behind bars. Walker was convicted of second-degree murder in 2006 after he killed a Pawnee County Sheriff, Dwight Woodrell, Jr., on October 13, 2001.
A local TV station notified prison officials that Walker had managed to maintain a Facebook page while incarcerated. Under the name of Jus N Walk, Walker’s account regularly updates his newsfeed. He usually discusses his friendships with people both in and out of prison. He also uses his account to complain about prison life, like long shower lines and poor food.
What was alarming were Walker’s photos. The photos he posted on his account were usually full of contraband – shanks, drugs, and alcohol. Walker was sent to maximum security the day officials found out about his Blackberry phone. Facebook also responded to the situation, deactivating Walker’s page under violation of the social network’s policy. (Source: ABC News)
Dizzy Melton
Dizzy Melton, founder of United Bloods Nation and known to be the Godfather of the gang, ordered the kidnapping and murder of the father of a North Carolina assistant DA in 2014. He did it while he was incarcerated.
Prison authorities were able to anticipate and avoid the death of the district attorney’s father when they discovered Melton’s phone and wiretapped it. Melton’s many conversations with his outside gang members described how he wanted the kidnapping and the killing to be accomplished.
Prosecutors also claimed that Melton used several smuggled phones to direct his gang members to kill a rival gang member in Warner Robins, Georgia, and the robbery and murder of a gun collector in Covington, Georgia, to name a few. And all of these crimes were orchestrated inside the prison wall using just a cellular phone. (Source: ABC 11)