CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Four former prison guards at a maximum security penitentiary in eastern Iowa face charges after authorities say they used illegal drugs while armed at work.
The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa said Tuesday that 29-year-old Garrett Barton, 29-year-old Ethan Darrow, 38-year-old Marques Maryland and 28-year-old Seth Vogel face different charges ranging from firearms possession to possession of controlled substances. Each man has agreed to plead guilty.
Prosecutors say the men used illegal drugs while armed with assault rifles during guard tower duty at Anamosa State Penitentiary in 2014. Barton is also accused of smuggling cellphones to inmates and trading controlled substances with correctional officers.
A fifth man accused of providing Barton with drugs faces a charge. He was not employed at the prison.
