Two deputy sheriffs have been suspended after an overweight criminal managed to smuggle a loaded gun into jail by hiding it under his belly.
Stoney Mathis, 18, was able to keep officers Dennis Campbell and Robert Speakman from finding the .38 revolver by tucking it into his waistband and letting his ‘big gut’ hang over his belt.
One deputy conceded it was a mistake to not ‘physically lift up his stomach’ during the full-body search.
Mathis, who is 5’4” tall and weighs 220lbs, was originally pulled over for reckless driving by police from Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, Florida, and was patted down by his car.
Police then took him to Okaloosa County Jail where he was searched again by the booking officer – but the gun was still not discovered.
Realising he needed to get rid of the weapon, Mathis asked to use the lavatory and while doing so he placed it underneath a toilet roll. The firearm was only found the next day when another deputy searched the building.
Deputies Campbell and Speakman were last week handed letters of reprimand over their ‘unsatisfactory performance’ on September 8 and each given a three-day suspension without pay. The pair were also disciplined with a suspended three-month probation.
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