Sedgwick County deputy arrested after investigation of contraband brought into jail

A Sedgwick County Jail deputy has been arrested and accused of bringing contraband into the facility, the sheriff’s office said Friday.

Andrew Gilbert, who has been with the department since June 2019, has also been suspended without pay. Jail records show a 21-year-old Andrew Allen Gilbert was booked into the facility just before 5 p.m. Friday on suspicion of trafficking contraband into the jail.

In a news release, the sheriff’s office said Gilbert was arrested after detectives followed up on information this week about a deputy bringing contraband into the jail.

“Additional charges could be applied, depending on the results of the ongoing investigation,” the sheriff’s office said.

The arrest follows a tumultuous 2021 for arrests of deputies and a contracted employee. Eagle records show there were at least eight arrests, which was more than in any of the last several years.

Last year, after an arrest of a jail deputy accused of sexual relations with an inmate, sheriff Jeff Easter said he has heard from police departments and sheriff’s offices about more reports of issues with jail staff.

“And there is really no explanation for that to be honest,” he said.

This story was originally published January 7, 2022 at 5:23 PM.