Crime may pay for S.C. con who got cushy jail stay

[Blue_Tires]

Source: AP

GAFFNEY, S.C. (AP) -- Like plenty of fathers, Kevin Bell took his young daughter to Chuck E. Cheese's for her birthday. He just had to get a ride from his jail cell to do it.

While serving his final six years for cocaine trafficking, Bell left jail for more than the party in 2006, state investigators say. In fact, his daughter was conceived after Cherokee County jail officials sprung him to attend a holiday dinner nearly three years earlier.

He had a $20,000 bank account - and deposited money into it by selling items on eBay for deputies, jailers and even the sheriff, according to a state investigation. It's a good thing that Bell was earning money, though. After all, he had to pay his cell phone bill and needed money for his planned wedding to one of his jailers.

The bizarre prison term of Bell, who was released last year, has launched a state criminal probe and outraged people in this close-knit former mill town about 50 miles south of Charlotte, N.C. While behind bars, Bell became so trusted that he ran a business washing county cars, was driven by an officer to shop at Wal-Mart and was allowed to eat dinner at his parents' house.

"Everyone at the jail knew of Kevin's relationship and other activities. It was overlooked," Robin Murphy, a jail employee, told state prison investigators.



Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_PRIVILEGED_PRISONER_SCOL-?SITE=SCFLO&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

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South Carolina of all places is leading the way on progressive prisoner rehabilitation for nonviolent offenders?? Who knew??

[ret5hd]

1. Almost reminds me of Shawshank Redemption...minus the escape.

[demoborn47]

2. ummmmm....yeah

that's nothing like Shawshank except that it has someone in jail. Which was also a rip off of escape from Alcatraz.... but a bit more clever.

[MessiahRp]

4. Maybe the other poster was thinking of

the scenes where Andy negotiates for beers or does the guards taxes....

In that sense there is some similarity...

Rp

[demoborn47]

7. ok.....

I can see SOME similarities.... it is a stretch, sorry bout jumpin the gun. But this guy is a criminal who was given leeway, I find it pretty fucked up for those who actually do hard time, especially the innocent who don't get any special treatment.

[Toucano]

3. This should be a movie.

It sounds very entertaining.

[struggle4progress]

5. "... the 150-foot tall water tower painted like a peach ..."

http://www.weird-tourist-attractions.com.nyud.net:8090/images/SC-Peach-Tower.jpg
http://www.weird-tourist-attractions.com/south-carolina-tourist-attractions.html

[jdadd]

6. The first time I saw this....

I kind of thought it looked more like a Big bare ass....:rofl:

[Blue_Tires]

10. i know that landmark ALL to well

on the road as a kid, we used to buy a bushel of peaches at a nearby vendor...

[styersc]

11. Approach from the other side and the peach looks like a

giant butt on a golf tee.

[Doremus]

8. This guy missed his calling as a Wall St. banker.

[Uncle Joe]

9. Maybe he just has an exceptional personality but I can't help wonder who Bell is connected to

via family or friend to pull off being placed in that county jail?

Personally I believe our current illogical, draconian, insane policy of criminalizing the American People over drugs while exploding our prison population smacks of too many contradictions, this being one them.

<snip>

Bell's privileges resemble those enjoyed by inmates at the so-called "Animal House" jail in rural Montague, Texas, who were allowed to bring in recliners, chat on cell phones and have sex with their jailers, according to an indictment this year against the sheriff there and 16 others.

Unlike the Texas case, though, it appears Cherokee County officials gave preferential treatment to just one man. And while other jails in South Carolina and around the country allow inmates known as "trusties" to serve as mechanics, groundskeepers or other laborers, those jobs don't come with the perks Bell received.


<snip>

"In 2002, Cherokee County officials requested Bell be sent to their jail to serve out his state prison sentence. He's from Greer, which is one county away, but why he ended up in the jail remains unclear: Bell rebuffed repeated requests for an interview and Sheriff Bill Blanton won't discuss specifics of the report.

"We've made changes and are in the process of doing things," said Blanton, who won re-election to a four-year term in 2006. "We don't want to comment on it until they get through."

<snip>