Jailhouse Love: NJ Corrections Officer Admits Giving Cell Phone to Inmate

A corrections officer from the Garden State has admitted to giving a cell phone to an inmate as a way to further their romantic relationship.

Last week, 52-year-old Latonya C. Johnson of Piscataway, who worked at the Monmouth County Correctional Institution, pleaded guilty to a second-degree charge of knowingly providing an electronic communication device to an inmate.

The Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office says an investigation revealed that Johnson brought a cell phone into the jail sometime between May and October of last year when she and an inmate were engaged in a romantic relationship.

Why?

So she could talk to him more frequently.

Johnson was charged this past January.

Upon entering her plea, Johnson permanently forfeited the right to seek future public employment in New Jersey.

What's next

When she is sentenced on January 12th, she could face up to three years behind bars.