Locks are being changed at one of Iowa’s prisons after cell block keys were apparently sold over the Internet. A locksmith who retired from the Anamosa State Penitentiary in the 1970s and died a few years later reportedly had a wide collection of keys at home, including some from various parts of the prison.
After the man’s wife died last year, their belongings were sold at an estate sale, including the keys. Someone who bought the keys turned around and advertised them on e-Bay — claiming they would still fit in some locks at the maximum security prison, including cell doors. The keys sold to an unknown bidder. Prison officials say they never knew the extra keys existed and doubt they’d still work, but are changing an untold number of locks, just to be on the safe side.