Two sheriff's deputies assigned to the downtown Franklin County Jail are at the center of a criminal investigation after being accused of tampering with an inmate's food, 10TV's Maureen Kocot reported on Monday.
According to sources at the jail, after enlisting an inmate to touch a sandwich with his genitalia, the deputies fed the sandwich to another inmate.
Sources also said that the deputies used a cell phone to take pictures of the incident, Kocot reported.
The Franklin County Sheriff's Office confirmed that deputies Joseph Cantwell and Phillip Barnett were the focus of an ongoing criminal investigation and had been reassigned to the control center where they have no contact with inmates.
No other details were released.
The Fraternal Order of Police told 10TV News the union was aware of the situation and was cooperating with the Franklin County Sheriff's Internal Bureau investigation, Kocot reported.
The union said it was not representing the deputies, who have retained their own attorneys.
Those attorneys could not be reached for comment on Monday, Kocot reported.
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