Sedgwick County sheriff investigates attempt to start a riot, sneak gun into jail

A Sedgwick County detention deputy has been arrested, accused of not intervening when he saw inmates trying to sneak in contraband that authorities say was going to be used to try to start a riot in the jail.

Dustin Burnett, 22, of Wichita was booked on suspicion of attempted traffic of contraband into a penal institution, conspiracy to traffic contraband into a penal institution and official misconduct.

“He [Burnett] had observed them break the window, observed them bring in the contraband into the facility and he did not stop it whatsoever, nor did he inform anybody during the the time of the incident,” Sheriff Jeff Easter said at a media briefing on Thursday. “He did not give the whole story of what occurred when he was confronted about it.”

An inmate had alerted deputies of the security breach.

Easter said four inmates in the pod where Burnett was assigned were able to break off a piece of pipe from the sink area in the day room. They took the pipe into a cell and started pound a cell window until they created a “fist-size” hole.

The inmates planned to sneak in items through four planned “drops” by lowering a sheet to someone outside who had been contacted using the jail’s phone, Easter said.

Jail officials think an unknown amount of marijuana and two cell phones were brought into the jail, although deputies have not found or recovered the items. There also were plans to sneak in a handgun, according to Easter.

This incident is connected to a riot that occurred at the Lansing Correctional Facility last week with “two leaders of a particular gang,” Easter said. The four inmates involved in the contraband at the county jail are known to be affiliated with the same gang, Easter added.

“It was going to be a similar issue where they were going to fight other inmates, riot and attack us,” Easter said.

Over 169 patrol and detention deputies searched the jail July 20 after receiving word that contraband had been brought in.

The search took about six hours and deputies recovered items ranging from “shanks,” pieces of metal that could be turned into a weapon, to a handcuff key, possible synthetic drug K2 and a lighter torch.

During the search, a 26-year-old inmate was found suffering from an overdose in the gymnasium of the jail. Medical staff gave the man four doses of Narcan and he was taken to a hospital.

Deputies recovered “six pills believed to be Fentanyl” from the inmate, a news release said.

During the briefing, Easter said deputies have recovered 20 “shanks” in the last three weeks.