Jail guard in Cleveland sentenced for inmate bribe

CLEVELAND (AP) - A veteran county jail guard in Cleveland has been sentenced to six months for accepting an inmate bribe worth $2,500.

A judge sentenced 40-year-old Tim Thomas on Monday on his guilty plea to bribery and falsification. He had worked at the Cuyahoga (ky-uh-HOH’-guh) County jail for nearly 20 years.

According to The Plain Dealer of Cleveland (bit.ly/1hFISqT0), he will serve his time in protective custody at a municipal jail to prevent contact with county inmates he once guarded.

Prosecutors say he took $2,000 cash and a used car worth $500 in return for delaying the transfer of a jail inmate to state prison.

Defense attorney Angelo Lonardo says the judge could have given a sentence of several years but took into consideration Thomas’ years of honest service.

___

Information from: The Plain Dealer, https://www.cleveland.com