Nicholas Grindle, a 32-year-old resident of Summerville, Georgia, received a sentence of over seven years in prison. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia announced that Grindle was convicted of conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and bribery.
Court documents reveal that Grindle, who worked as a guard at Hays State Prison, was involved in smuggling methamphetamine to inmates for a period of over a month in late 2023 and early 2024.
The office confirmed that his financial records were reviewed, revealing that he was receiving bribery payments from inmates to smuggle drugs and other contraband into the prison.
“It’s alarming to think that this prison guard was brazen enough to distribute dangerous drugs and other contraband,” said Jae W. Chung, acting special agent in charge of the DEA Atlanta Division.
“He must now face the consequences.”
Fellow officers apprehended Grindle when they conducted a search of his locker and discovered methamphetamine, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Grindle, who had previously served in the United States Army, was deployed to Afghanistan, as confirmed by the attorney’s office.
The attorney’s office has stated that Grindle provided false information to U.S. District Judge William M. Ray II. Grindle claimed that during his time in Afghanistan, he was stabbed in the shoulder by a Taliban fighter and managed to kill the fighter using his pistol.
According to officials from the attorney’s office, an examination of Grindle’s military records, as well as numerous letters from former members of his unit, revealed that his assertions of heroism and combat injuries were unfounded.
“Grindle violated his oath of office by smuggling drugs into a prison he swore to protect,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie Jr.
“He then compounded this crime by lying about his military service.”
