Four former corrections officers at the Anamosa State Penitentiary are facing drug charges, while one is accused of taking bribes to smuggle cell phones for inmates. The allegations against the four men were outlined Tuesday by U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa Kevin Techau.
Twenty-nine-year-old Garrett Barton of Anamosa faces the most serious charges. He’s accused of taking money to smuggle cell phones into the prison for inmate use. Barton is also accused of trading controlled substances with other corrections officers. He’s expected to plead guilty to charges that would carry a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.
The other three men are facing either federal or state charges for being unlawful drug users in possession of firearms when they served guard tower duty. That includes 29-year-old Ethan Darrow of Anamosa, who pleaded guilty to the charges Monday and now faces up to 10 years in prison.
Twenty-eight-year-old Seth Vogel of Marion and 38-year-old Marques Maryland of Cedar Rapids agreed to plead guilty to state charges and each face up to six months in prison.