Local

Inmate caught tweeting from Fulton County Jail

ATLANTA,None — Channel 2 Action News has learned an inmate has been tweeting from the Fulton County Jail, posting hundreds of thoughts about his family, the jail and even pictures on Twitter.

Channel 2 investigative reporter Aaron Diamant confirmed through jail sources the Twitter feed belongs to inmate Devinchio Rogers. Rogers has posted tweets that are littered with foul language and pictures of prison food, something that appears to be marijuana and himself.

"There's the jail. The concrete blocks behind it, the blankets. It was taken in the jail, yeah, no question about it," former chief jailer Charles Felton told Diamant when looking at the tweets. "It's very troubling. It's frightening. It's beyond troubling."

Rogers has spent several months in the Fulton County jail on several charges, including murder.

The tweets likely came from a cellphone, which is banned from the jail.

"They can continue to facilitate their criminal enterprises while they're in jail," Felton told Diamant. It's a problem that's almost impossible to stop.

"The officers bring them in and they give them to the inmates," Felton said.

Smuggling contraband inside the jail has become a big problem in recent years. In June, an inmate used a small pistol to shoot another inmate. Investigators found the gun hidden in a toilet paper roll and stashed behind a ceiling tile. A sweep after the shooting found several cellphones and drugs.

That same month the FBI arrested a Fulton County deputy and three jailers for smuggling drugs and cellphones into the jail.

"It's a horrible situation. It's frightening. It needs to be corrected," Felton said. Felton said the only resolution is more shakedowns of inmates and officers.

"An honest officer won't care. It's like officers taking a drug test. If you're not taking drugs, 'Yeah, I'll take a test,' and if you are you're going to have problems with it," he said. "When you have this level of corruption going on you have to take drastic action."

Diamant contacted the Sheriff's Office immediately after finding the Twitter feed. A spokesman said the case is under investigation.

"The Fulton County jail is operated on a wish and a prayer," Felton said.