THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 10, 1996 TAG: 9610100331
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LARRY W. BROWN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 34 lines
A Norfolk sheriff's deputy has been arrested in an apparent conspiracy to provide a handcuff key to an inmate in the Norfolk City Jail, police said Wednesday.
Thomas A. Hendricks, a deputy with the department for two years, was arrested just after 3 a.m. Saturday in the 1800 block of E. Little Creek Road after an exchange of money with an undercover Norfolk police officer.
Officials would not say how long the conspiracy may have been going on or who else was involved. Other details of the scheme were sketchy late Wednesday.
The alleged deal happened sometime last week, said police spokeswoman Moravia Ebong. After deputies suspected something was going on with Hendricks, they contacted Norfolk detectives.
On Saturday night, an undercover officer caught Hendricks ``in the act by posing as a girlfriend to one of the inmates,'' Ebong said. After an exchange of money, he was arrested.
Hendricks, who is in his 20s, was charged with aiding and abetting an inmate who committed a felony, and conspiracy to do the same.
He appeared in General District Court this week and was being held in the Hampton City Jail under $150,000 bond.
Officials at the jail would not comment about the details of the case, but spokesman George Schaefer praised both detectives and the deputies who blew the whistle.
``We're very grateful for the cooperation from the Norfolk police,'' he said. ``We had assistance from our own deputies.''
KEYWORDS: NORFOLK CITY JAIL PRISONERS ARREST by CNB