CALDWELL - Two former Canyon County Jail deputies are behind bars after an investigation into an inmate's allegations of misconduct.
Kade McConnell, 23, of Caldwell and Corey Weathermon, 46, of Nampa are accused of trying to orchestrate an attack on an inmate who was being held in the jail.
McConnell is charged with solicitation to commit aggravated battery, while Weathermon is charged with aiding and abetting solicitation to commit aggravated battery. Both men were booked into the Ada County Jail Monday.
The Canyon County Sheriff's Office said it received "deeply troubling" allegations about the deputies from a Canyon County jail inmate on Oct. 19, 2017.
The sheriff's office launched an immediate internal review, ultimately handing the investigation over to the Ada County Prosecutor's Office to prevent any conflicts of interest in the case.
According to a complaint filed by the Ada County Prosecuting Attorney, McConnell showed an inmate, who is a Sureno gang member, non-publicly available paperwork depicting 11 charges of sexual crimes with children against another inmate, who is also a Sureno gang member, and asked him to have the gangs take care of it while the inmate was alone and unprotected at the Canyon County Jail.
The complaint also says Weathermon helped by printing a screenshot of paperwork depicting the sexual charges, acting as a lookout at the control station while McConnell distributed the information to inmates, and participating in a conversation with McConnell and another inmate about the plan.
Both deputies were fired Oct. 30, eleven days after the allegations came to light. The sheriff's office said McConnell had worked at the jail since June 2016; Weathermon had been an employee since March 2014.
The sheriff's office issued this statement Monday:
"Without violating anyone’s privacy rights, we think it’s important to recognize the employees and officials who helped bring these allegations to light and who moved so quickly to implement their training and the Jail’s Standard Operating Procedure. These men and women are truly representative of the 140+ dedicated Jail employees who work hard every day to protect and maintain the safety, security, and rights of the 400+ inmates, each other, and this community, and we continue to rely on their integrity and commitment."
Both McConnell and Weathermon will be arraigned in Canyon County Tuesday afternoon.