Colmesneil man accused of trying to smuggling tobacco to jail inmate

TYLER COUNTY, Texas (KTRE) - Deputies arrested a Colmesenil man after they say he attempted to smuggle tobacco to a county jail inmate.

According to the Tyler County Sheriff’s Office, jailers found the contraband during routine safety checks on Monday, Jan. 5. The items were concealed inside a glove that had been placed in a paper bag inside a large Styrofoam cup.

The sheriff’s office said there were more than two dozen nicotine pouches and snuff tobacco inside the glove.

The sheriff’s office said deputies used recorded phone lines and video surveillance to identify the contraband’s intended recipient as Dana Potts, 40, of Colmesneil. Potts was already being held on warrants from Tyler and Polk counties for possession of a controlled substance.

Potts was additionally charged with having a prohibited substance in a correctional facility. Her bond was set at $50,000.

The investigation revealed that Ronzie Bankston, 46, of Colmesneil, placed the prohibited items in the restroom, according to the sheriff’s office.

Deputies arrested Bankston the following day in the district courtroom at the Tyler County Courthouse while he was attending a pretrial hearing for Potts.

Bankston was booked into the Tyler County Jail and charged with bringing a prohibited substance into a correctional facility. His bond was set at $50,000.