Florida Department of Corrections Secretary Julie Jones says she intends to fire the correctional officers involved in the murder plot of a former black inmate.
In a statement, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi announced her office along with the FBI had arrested three members of the Ku Klux Klan—two of which are current correctional employees.
Florida officials say they planned to kill the former inmate in retaliation for a fight between the black inmate and 25-year-old Thomas Driver, a DOC employee.
Driver along with the other two, 47-year-old David Moran, and 42-year-old Charles Newcomb—a former prison employee—now face one state count of conspiracy to commit murder for allegedly plotting to kill a former inmate after his release from prison.
Driver and Moran worked at the Reception and Medical Center in Lake Butler.
The Attorney General’s office is expected to prosecute the case in Columbia County.
In a statement, DOC Secretary Julie Jones says the department does not tolerate racism or prejudice of any kind, adding her agency is working to “terminate the employees and assist in their prosecution.”
Below is DOC Secretary Jones' full statement:
“We are moving swiftly to terminate the employees arrested today and working closely with Office of the Attorney General to assist in their prosecution. Our Department has zero tolerance for racism or prejudice of any kind. The actions of these individuals are unacceptable and do not, in any way, represent the thousands of good, hardworking and honorable correctional officers employed at the Department of Corrections.” – Secretary Julie Jones
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