A guard at the Golden Grove Correctional Facility on St. Croix was arrested Tuesday night for selling drugs and other items in the prison.
Trevor Looby, 41, was arrested for allegedly trafficking marijuana, weapons and cell phones in the penitentiary, according to V.I. Attorney General Iver Stridiron. The investigation into Looby’s activities began in 1999. A sting operation was conducted in 2000, which culminated in his arrest on Tuesday.
Looby was arrested in early October after police discovered cocaine and marijuana in his vehicle during a traffic stop. At the time of his arrest in October, Looby was in possession of 1.5 ounces of marijuana and 4.3 grams of cocaine. He was formally charged then with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
On Tuesday, Stridiron said Looby was suspended from duty. Stridiron said he would move as soon as possible to have the 12-year veteran fired for the charges of possession with intent to distribute narcotics into a prison facility.
"We have determined he should be arrested and prosecuted," Stridiron said.
He said Looby had been smuggling contraband into the prison for at least five years. He added that Looby has implicated others for similar crimes. Random drug testing of inmates at the prison indicated that drug use was three to four times the national average, Stridiron said.
"We do suspect there may be others. Unfortunately, what we’re seeing in Golden Grove . . . we do suspect there are some things going on," he said.
Stridiron said there is no evidence that similar problems are occurring at the jail on St. Thomas.
