Cleveland County Jailers Arrested In Contraband Investigation, Sheriff Comments

Two Cleveland County Detention officers have been arrested and booked into the jail that they were sworn to protect, Sheriff Chris Amason confirmed to News 9.

Officer Landon Russell, 23, was arrested as he clocked out at the detention center early Wednesday.

A second officer, William Haddox, 21, was arrested at his home in Norman.

“It abuses the position of trust and compromises the integrity and safety of the Cleveland County Detention Center and surrounding community,” Sheriff Amason said, “A detention officer must be held to a high standard of conduct, and I intend to hold them accountable.”

The Sheriff said the arrests followed an incident at the Cleveland County Detention Center which happened on Saturday, November 18, 2023. An employee was exposed to a substance investigators suspect to be an opioid. That employee was treated at a hospital and has recovered, according to the Sherriff's Office.

“We took swift and decisive measures to ensure the Cleveland County Detention Center maintains its safe staffing levels during the ongoing investigation,” Amason said, “As Sheriff, I have zero tolerance for contraband being introduced to our detention center.”

The Cleveland County Sheriff's Office said Haddox has worked for the Detention Center since August 2022. He is accused of bringing nicotine patches into the jail, and investigators suspect those pouches were laced with a controlled substance. 

Haddox is being held on complaints of conspiracy to commit a felony, possession of controlled substance, carrying contraband drug into jail, and aggravated trafficking in illegal drugs. 

Russell has been on staff at the Detention Center since June 2023. He is accused of supplying cell phones to inmates and is being held on a complaint of carrying contraband drug into jail. 

Cleveland County Detective Lt. Rick Adkins said in a news release from the Sheriff's Office that investigators don't believe Haddox and Russell were engaged in the same activities.

"However, each was found to have violated both our policy and state statues by bringing contraband into our facility,” Adkins said.

Sheriff Amason has initiated an internal administrative investigation. He also said more arrests are expected in connection with this case.