Tobias Mitchell

A Morgan County jailer is facing criminal charges for allegedly having consensual sexual contact with a prisoner and with promoting prison contraband, an official said.

Corrections Officer Telly A. Atkins, 22, of Tanner, was charged Thursday with custodial sexual misconduct, a Class C felony, along with three misdemeanor counts of promoting prison contraband, according to Morgan County Sheriff Ana Franklin’s Office.

Atkins is accused of having sexual contact with inmate Tobias Mitchell, 19, of Hartselle, who had been jailed for violating the terms of his probation on a charge of distribution of marijuana. The jailer is also accused of smuggling a cellphone battery and cigarettes into the jail.

The Sheriff’s Office reports it is in the process of terminating Atkins, who was released from jail after posting a $3,400 bond.

He was hired as a jailer in March.

On Dec. 9, jailers received information that a prisoner had a cellphone, which is considered contraband. After a search, they found the phone and a charger rigged to use a series of AA batteries and seized the items.

Over the next few days, two investigators assigned to the case conducted interviews, reviewed videotape and obtained data from the phone.