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Ellis County jailer fired for allegedly smuggling contraband

When investigators conducted surveillance on the jailer at work on Friday, they saw "activity consistent with contraband smuggling in the detention center."

WAXAHACHIE, Texas — A jailer accused of bringing contraband into the Ellis County jail has been arrested and fired, officials said.

Quadtavius Ramone Donalson, 24, of Waxahachie was arrested in the case Friday, according to a news release from the Ellis County Sheriff's Office.

The release said investigators this month were notified that "prohibited substances" were being smuggled into the Wayne McCollum Detention Center in Waxahachie. The suspect was identified as Donalson.

When investigators conducted surveillance on Donalson at work on Friday, they saw "activity consistent with contraband smuggling in the detention center," the release said.

Investigators questioned Donalson, who "confessed to the illegal activity," the release said. He faces a charge of prohibited substance/item in a correction facility, a third-degree felony.

Donalson was stripped of his uniform and arrested, a moment that was filmed by the sheriff's office and posted to the department's Facebook page.

The video showed Sheriff Brad Norman cutting Donalson's uniform off of him. The Facebook post said:

"The Ellis County Sheriff’s Office has awesome employees that go above and beyond the call of duty. That being said, when one chooses to commit crimes and betray the public trust, they will be dealt with accordingly."

By Sunday morning, the Facebook post was beginning to draw dozens of comments of negative backlash, though the video had its supporters, too.

Last year, a similar video drew widespread attention when Collin County Sheriff Jim Skinner fired a jailer who allegedly brought a cell phone and charger into an inmate's cell. The video, which was captured on a surveillance camera at the jail, showed Skinner reprimanding and firing the deputy and then making him take off his uniform, saying he didn't deserve to wear it.

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