A Hopkins County corrections officer has been arrested in connection with an investigation into a discrepancy in inmate medication counts at Hopkins County jail, according to jail and sheriff’s reports.
Hopkins County Sheriff Lewis Tatum reported being contacted Monday, Oct. 11, 2021, by jail medical staff, who’d “noticed a discrepancy in the count of inmate medication.” Tatum said he then asked the Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division and the Texas Rangers to begin an investigation into the missing medication.
“Upon reviewing evidence from the jail, an arrest warrant was obtained for Corrections Officer Toshia Edmonson. Investigators made contact with Edmonson at her residence and executed a previously obtained search warrant,” Tatum said.
The 40-year-old corrections officer was arrested on charges of tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony offense; diversion of controlled substance by registrants, dispensers, and certain other persons, a state jail felony; theft by public servant, a misdemeanor offense; and possession of less than 28 grams of a Penalty Group 3 controlled substance, a Class A misdemeanor offense.
According to Texas Health and Safety Code, Title 6, Subtitle C, Sec. 481.1285, a person commits diversion of a controlled substance by registrants, dispensers, and certain other persons if the person knowingly:
(1) converts to the person's own use or benefit a controlled substance to which the person has access by virtue of the person's profession or employment; or(2) diverts to the unlawful use or benefit of another person a controlled substance to which the person has access by virtue of the person's profession or employment.
The Health and Safety Code also not only classifies the offense as a felony, but stipulates “conduct that constitutes an offense under this section also constitutes an offense under any other law, the actor may be prosecuted under this section, the other law, or both.”
“I believe that we are held to a higher standard and I am thankful for our medical staff, who quickly notified us of the discrepancy. My office will always be transparent and we will not tolerate violations of law and policy by our staff,” Tatum said.
Edmonson, who is also known as Toshia Marie Lindsey, remained in Hopkins County jail at 5 p.m. Oct. 11, 2021. Her bonds totaled $60,000: $25,000 on the tampering with evidence charge, $15,000 on the diverting controlled substance charge, and $10,000 each on the theft and possession of controlled substance charges, according to Hopkins County jail reports.
If you have an emergency, dial 9-1-1
The Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office is located at 298 Rosemont Sulphur Springs, TX 75482. You can reach them for non-emergency matters at (903) 438-4040.
