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Ga. public defender charged with felony after deputies say he handed inmate roll of toilet paper

AUGUSTA, Ga. — An attorney with the Public Defender’s Office in Augusta is facing a felony charge. Rodrequez Burnett was meeting with a client at the detention center in Augusta.

During the meeting, Burnett took a roll of toilet paper from a multipurpose room and gave it to the inmate, according to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.

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The Sheriff’s Office says the inmate then removed the outer wrapper from the toilet paper and hid it in his clothes. Burnet returned the roll to the closet, according to investigators.

The inmate left the room and gave the wrapper to other inmates, according to a news release from the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.

Inmates use the wrappers to roll and smoke tobacco or other substances. They are considered contraband, investigators say.

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Burnett was arrested and charged with introducing prohibited items to an inmate which is a felony.

Channel 2 Action News reached out to the Augusta Judicial Circuit Public Defenders Office. The person who answered the phone confirmed Burnett worked there but was unaware of the arrest and said they would not be providing a statement at this time.

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