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Former Wood County corrections officer accused of smuggling contraband

PARKERSBURG — A former Wood County Corrections Officer was arraigned Wednesday on a number of charges relating to bringing illegal items into the jail facility.

Adam Scott Tumlin, no age or address given, was arraigned in Wood County Magistrate Court on charges of transport of prohibited items onto the grounds of the jail, drug conspiracy, delivery of a controlled substance and bribery in official matters.

He was released on $80,000 bond.

According to the criminal complaint, written by Corporal C.S. Jackson of the West Virginia State Police, he was notified by the West Virginia Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation that Tumlin had been under investigation for transporting prohibited items into the Parkersburg Correctional Center and Jail. Tumlin later resigned as a result of that investigation.

While working as a corrections officer for the state he allegedly conspired with an inmate and other acquaintances to where Tumlin would bring in tobacco, Suboxone/Buprenorphine-Naloxone (Schedule III) and possibly other scheduled controlled substances to the facility and in return Tumlin would receive currency through an app called “Cash App” from multiple inmate acquaintances, the complaint said.

“During the investigation, it was discovered C/O Tumlin would hide the prohibited items in his lunch box and then deliver the prohibited item(s) to a certain inmate during his shift,” Jackson wrote. “Furthermore, it is believed on two occasions before his shift, C/O Tumlin met a female subject from out of town who was a known acquaintance or girlfriend of an inmate at said facility where Tumlin then would receive an empty cigarette pack from this female which contained what Tumlin believed was Suboxone strips but further described the item inside the pack as an orange ball.”

The complain also alleges he worked with one particular inmate who was the middle man who would then deliver the prohibited items to other inmates at the Parkersburg Correctional Center & Jail.

From April 2022 to June/July 2022, Tumlin received between 50 to 60 “Cash App” deposits from inmate acquaintances, according to the complaint, adding it is believed Tumlin made approximately $4,218 in exchange for delivering contraband to the facility as he worked as a corrections officer.

The complaint said it is believed Tumlin used Moneygram once to obtain another payment from an inmate acquaintance in exchange for contraband at the facility.

“It is believed that approximately 10-14 inmates at Parkersburg Correctional Center & Jail had sent U.S. currency to C/O Tumlin’s Cash App or Moneygram in exchange for contraband …,” Jackson wrote.

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