Calls from prison spur lockdowns
Gov. Rick Perry ordered Texas prisons locked down Monday and searched for contraband after death-row inmates made thousands of calls on a smuggled cellphone.
An inmate’s mother was arrested Monday at Austin’s airport and accused of buying minutes for the phone, and authorities said more arrests were expected. Perry’s office said the cellphone was smuggled into the prison by a bribed corrections officer.
Inmate Richard Tabler called a state senator and said he knew the names of his daughters and where they lived, officials said. Tabler shared the phone with nine inmates; prison officials said about 2,800 calls were made in the last 30 days.
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