Guard arrested for cash for drugs deal

A correctional officer at the Escambia County Detention Center in Brewton was arrested Friday, April 16, on charges of using her position for personal gain after being accused of accepting money to smuggle synthetic marijuana (spice) and methamphetamine into the detention center.

Bethany Meagan Whiting, 36, 32319 Highway 31, Brewton, was issued a bond of $100,000.

Sheriff Heath Jackson said Whiting was accused of smuggling drugs into the detention center while she was working as a correctional officer.

"Whiting would collect money from an inmate and in return she would smuggle contraband into the facility," Jackson stated.

Court records show Whiting was given $400 through a cash app to bring the drugs into the jail.

Whiting, who was hired as a correctional officer on Oct. 5, 2020, resigned Feb. 1, 2021, after the investigation began.

"We will continue to hold our employees accountable and prosecute anyone who decides to tarnish the badge that most of us so proudly wear," Jackson said. "We refuse to let a few bad apples spoil the bunch and will continue to make an example out of anyone who breaches the public's trust."