Clayton sheriff’s office employee arrested for ‘encouraging’ people to steal from inmates

Clayton County Sheriff Levon Allen has arrested a fifth employee in less than one week.

Sarai Tatiana Ali, a contractor with the sheriff’s office, was arrested and charged with obstruction and being a party to a crime.

Sheriff Allen says Ali aided and abetted suspects and shared confidential information before encouraging her crew to steal from inmates.

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“I would rather have one good deputy than 100 crooked ones,” Allen said in a statement on Thursday night. “I won’t stop until I get every last one of them out of my agency.”

Jail records show that Ali was booked into the Clayton County Jail just before midnight on Wednesday. She is currently being held on a $5,500 bond.

Ali’s arrest comes as part of Allen’s “Operation Clean House.”

Less than an hour before Ali was booked into the jail, fellow contractor Iyana Dixon was booked, jail records show. She was accused of using a stolen credit card at a Macy’s department store.

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Both arrests come just days after three others were arrested.

Correctional Officer Tabitha Clifton and nurse Jessica Castellanos were arrested on Friday and accused of giving contraband to inmates.

Less than 24 hours before, Correctional Officer Sean Hollinshead was accused of “orchestrating” an attack on an inmate.

Allen says Hollinshead placed an inmate into a high-risk housing unit where he was beaten and stabbed. They say he then failed to provide aid to the inmate.

Dixon is still being held in the Clayton County Jail while Hollinshead, Clifton and Castellanos have since been released.

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