Pubdate: Fri, 24 Jan 2003
Source: Star-Herald, The (MS)
Contact  http://www.starherald.net/
Address: 207 North Madison St. Kosciusko, MS 39090
Fax: (662)289-2254
Copyright: 2003 The Star-Herald
Author: Mark Thornton

BAIL BONDSMAN ACCUSED OF PASSING DRUGS TO INMATE

An Ethel bail bondsman is facing a felony charge after being accused of 
trying to pass marijuana to an inmate at the Attala County Jail last week.

Danny Steen, 50, insists he was set up.

"I was at the courthouse, and I was given a pack of cigarettes ... he asked 
me if I would give them to someone down there," Steen said. "I'm a victim 
in this thing."

Steen said he tried to bring charges against the 21-year-old man who gave 
him the cigarettes.

He would not identify the man or the inmate for whom the marijuana was 
intended. Steen said he has retained an attorney.

Jailer Peggy Ramage noticed that the cigarette pack had been tampered with, 
so she called Sheriff William Lee. The drug was found inside the pack.

Steen is charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to 
deliver in a jail facility, which is a felony punishable by three to seven 
years in prison and up to $25,000 in fines.

"All jails and prisons are faced with this from time to time," Lee said, 
adding that it's happened "a couple of times" at the Attala County Jail. 
"That's the reason for hiring personnel sharp enough to catch things like 
that."

Lee wouldn't say what kind of drug was found, but Steen said that it was a 
marijuana cigarette.

"I had no knowledge that it was in there," he said. "It was a setup from 
the word go."

He said it's not uncommon for clients and former clients to try to set up 
bail bondsmen.

"They'd like nothing more than to get you in (jail) with them," he said. 
"You're dealing with a bunch of low-lifes with nothing to lose."

Steen, who has been a licensed bail bondsman for two years, said he is not 
upset with Lee, the sheriff's department or the Mississippi Bureau of 
Narcotics.

"They have a job to do," he said.

Steen, whose initial hearing was to be Wednesday, said he is looking 
forward to court. He was out on $10,000 bond. He was not allowed to write 
his own bond.

"There are an awful lot of circumstances that will come out in court," he 
said. "I've got to defend my honor."
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