William E. Runyan

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — A corrections officer was arrested following an investigation into illegal substances making their way into the Belmont County Jail.

The Belmont County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of Belmont County corrections officer William E. Runyan on Friday. Sheriff David Lucas said 43-year-old Runyan of Shadyside is charged with dereliction of duty for allegedly bringing contraband into the correctional facility.

“Us being a detention center, one of the biggest things we do here is security plus safety of the inmates and the officers. Part of our duties is securing and searching and watching for contraband that is trying to be conveyed into our facility,” Lucas said.

Lucas said there was suspicion that an employee was bringing contraband inside the detention center.

“From the investigation, we were able to isolate which employee and substantiate that a correction officer was, in fact, giving tobacco to inmates,” he said.

Runyan allegedly was conveying tobacco into the center and providing it to inmates. Once the investigation was completed by Detective Sgt. Douglas Cruse, Runyan was arrested during his Wednesday evening work shift.

“We take it very serious. Once we were able to substantiate it and he (Runyan) was interviewed, he was then taken over and booked into jail — the same place where he was hired to deter and stop this stuff,” Lucas said.

The sheriff said the department does everything in its power to deter the smuggling of contraband into the facility, including purchasing a full body scanner. That equipment was purchased to aid booking officers in deterring and finding contraband.

“We even police ourselves, and this is how serious I take it: If you are caught, I don’t care if it’s tobacco or not, you’re in violation of the law. You’re getting arrested and you’re being charged,” he said.

Runyan had been employed by the facility for just two months before the allegations were brought against him. Lucas said Runyan was hired in December and was still serving a probationary period at the time of his arrest. Corrections officers are subject to a one-year probationary period upon hiring, he said.

Runyan is charged with one count of dereliction of duty, a second-degree misdemeanor. He was released from the Belmont County Jail after posting $750 bond.