Pubdate: Thu, 24 Mar 2005 Source: Virgin Islands Daily News, The (VI) Copyright: 2005 Virgin Islands Daily News Contact: http://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3486 Author: Eunice Bedminster Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/corrupt.htm (Corruption - United States) 3 CORRECTIONS OFFICERS HEADED FOR TRIAL IN MAY ON DRUG CHARGES ST. CROIX - Three V.I. Corrections Bureau officers pleaded not guilty to drug charges Wednesday in Superior Court. Judge Edgar Ross set a May 2 trial date for Winston Georges and Anthony Rhaney, and Judge Darryl Donohue set a trial date of May 31 for the third officer, Gino Anthony Edwards. Assistant Attorney General Cornelius Williams, who handled the arraignment, said that attorneys from the Justice Department's St. Thomas office will try the cases. Rhaney, 49, and Edwards, 42, were arrested on a warrant March 11 by Justice Department agents as part of a stepped-up effort to rid Golden Grove Adult Correctional Facility of criminal activity. The two were charged with possession with intent to distribute narcotics in a prison. Their arrests came a little more than a week after Georges' arrest on drug charges. On March 2, rookie officer Ayinde Hiss, 22, was arrested and charged with introducing contraband into the prison. Other Corrections officers reported that on the night of his arrest, Hiss took a break from work, went to his vehicle and returned about 7:09 p.m. The officers said they noticed a bulge in Hiss' shirt. They searched him and found the drugs, they said. The Attorney General's Office has released no other details on the type of drugs the officers are accused of bringing into the prison or the circumstances surrounding their arrests. Acting V.I. Attorney General Alva Swan has said that the investigation is ongoing and that other initiatives are under way or planned as part of the effort to root out corruption in the prison. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom