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County Correctional Officer Arrested In Drug Sting

CHICAGO (CBS) - A correctional officer at the Cook County Jail was busted accepting marijuana and cocaine to deliver to an inmate, and now stands charged with four felonies.

Timothy Fuller, 42, of Oak Park, is charged with felony possession of marijuana and cocaine, and possession of both drugs with intent to deliver, according to the Cook County Sheriff's office.

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Fuller, a 15-year correctional officer who worked in the jail's medium-security Division 11 building, has been suspended with pay pending a termination hearing before the sheriff's Merit Board, a sheriff's release said.

The investigation began when members of the sheriff's Office of Professional Review learned that Fuller was involved in suspicious activity at the jail involving inmates, according to the release.

Investigators found out that Fuller was going to smuggle marijuana into the jail for an inmate for a fee of $400. Fuller also asked that the inmate have a woman take the drugs and cash to him, because he wanted to flirt with her and take her on a date, according to the release.

On Sunday, Fuller called a phone number provided by the inmate and exchanged voice mails with the woman. Then they met in person to discuss the drug smuggling plan. Afterward, he and the woman chatted socially, and agreed to meet after Fuller's jail shift ended at 3 p.m. this past Monday.

On Monday, the woman confirmed she had a "pack" and cash for Fuller, and they met in an agreed location, according to the release.

But it turned out the woman was actually an undercover sheriff's police officer.
She handed over a plastic grocery bag with 15.9 grams of cocaine and 135 grams of marijuana, which Fuller opened and smelled. The woman then gave Fuller a handful of $20 bills, which he counted, according to the sheriff's office.

At that point, other sheriff's officers swarmed and arrested Fuller, who scattered the money on the ground.

The whole transaction was caught on video, the release said.

Fuller is scheduled to appear in bond court Thursday, the release said.

The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.

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