GRETNA, La. — An officer at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center was arrested Thursday on suspicion of malfeasance in office after he allegedly allowed inmates out of their cells to fight while watching from the control booth.
Dylan Smith, 45, was arrested after an internal investigation by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office.
According to records from the sheriff's office, Smith "willfully opened multiple cells" in the correction facility's solitary confinement area and "allowed inmates to enter into a physical altercation with one another."
Two inmates were reportedly hurt in the fight, but records indicate Smith failed to report the injuries. The time of the altercation was not released by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office.
After a victim from the fight reported the incident to officials, an investigation was launched. Investigators later obtained a recorded statement from Smith in which he admitted to enabling the fight, records show.
Smith is being held in lieu of $25,000 bail. He will appear in court on May 20.