3 Beaver County corrections officers charged with bringing drugs, contraband into jail
ALIQUIPPA, Pa. (KDKA) — Three Beaver County Jail corrections officers are accused of selling drugs and contraband to inmates.
Raphael Abercrombie, Richard Suman and Erin Huff are facing charges after the warden asked police to investigate reports of correction officers bringing contraband into the jail.
"February of 2022, the jail began to identify contraband coming into the jail: cigarettes, suboxone, marijuana and needles," Beaver County District Attorney David Lozier said Tuesday.
After that, Lozier said several inmates tested positive for drugs. County detectives then began investigating, interviewing inmates, former inmates and family members.
They also conducted search warrants, and Lozier said officials discovered an inmate's family member would send money to Cash App accounts. Detectives linked everything back to the corrections officers, Lozier said.
"There is no tolerance for this kind of activity," Lozier said.
According to the criminal complaint, an inmate told detectives that he got marijuana and suboxone from Suman, who worked at the jail for 13 years. KDKA-TV learned he resigned earlier this month.
An inmate also told investigators that Huff supplied tobacco and marijuana, according to the criminal complaint. KDKA-TV learned she was fired last week after working at the jail for less than a year.
KDKA-TV asked the warden how the jail checks corrections officers.
"The supervisor basically sees them and can do a cursory check. There always is a trust level with the staff if they hide things on themselves. Obviously, that trust was broken," said William Schouppe, the jail's warden.
Defense attorney Myron Sainovich defended the former corrections officers.
"They are ready to fight because they feel that they've been singled out and that they are not guilty of any of this," Sainovich said.
According to court paperwork, Abercrombie admitted to bringing tobacco into the jail. He set the Cash App account in his wife's name, though she did not know anything about it, officials said. He resigned earlier this year after working at the jail for eight years.
All three are facing charges of obstructing the administration of law or other governmental functions. Suman and Huff are facing several other drug charges. They turned themselves in on Tuesday.
