TRENTON, NJ — Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) announced that a Mercer County correctional police officer, Tyree L. Hobbs, 39, of Hamilton, New Jersey, faces criminal charges following a state grand jury indictment. Hobbs is accused of accepting bribes in exchange for smuggling illegal drugs, tobacco, and other contraband into the Mercer County Correction Center.
Hobbs was indicted on four criminal counts, including official misconduct charges, by New Jersey residents serving on the grand jury. These charges are accusations, and Hobbs is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
The investigation by OPIA, leading to the charges, found that Hobbs had been accepting bribes from inmates since November 2017, shortly after joining the Mercer County Department of Corrections in February 2017. He was suspended without pay in July 2022.
Hobbs allegedly received bribes ranging from $300 to $2,500 per delivery, paid in cash or through mobile money-transfer apps. The contraband was typically narcotics and tobacco, which Hobbs would smuggle into the facility and hide for inmates.
This conduct is in violation of state regulations and Mercer County DOC policies prohibiting contraband and barring officers from personal relationships or transactions with inmates.