07-08-2025
Fired Porter County Jail officer accused of trafficking drug into jail
A man who once served as a Porter County Jail officer now finds himself behind bars as he is accused of trafficking drugs into the jail for an old neighborhood friend.
Johnny Maynor III, 50, of Merrillville, is charged with a Level 5 felony of trafficking a controlled substance, a Level 6 felony for official misconduct and a misdemeanor charge of trafficking with an inmate.
The Porter County Sheriff's Office issued a news release late Wednesday, announcing the arrest of Maynor on the charges. He was terminated from his jail officer's job on July 28.
The Porter County Sheriff's Detective Bureau began its investigation of Maynor on June 11, acting on information that the jail officer was suspected of trafficking contraband into the Porter County Jail.
According to a probable cause statement filed in Porter Superior Court, inmates had told jail supervisors they believed Maynor was bringing a drug commonly called 'Toon' into the jail.
Toon is made by dipping paper into a liquid narcotic drug and drying it. Users either smoke or ingest the drug-soaked paper.
Detectives learned that Maynor was acquainted with an inmate who hailed from the same neighborhood in Gary. The probable cause statement outlines how the drug was brought into the Porter County Jail.
The inmate's brother produced the 'Toon,' which was on paper, which Maynor would pick up and then bring into the jail facility.
When jail inspections were conducted, Maynor would leave the 'Toon' in the inmate's cell or on his bed.
On one occasion, an inmate overheard Maynor say, 'I got you' when the request was made to bring more 'Toon' into the facility.
The 'Toon' being brought into the jail was, in turn, being trafficked to others within the facility.
Video monitoring footage, reviewed by detectives, provided supporting evidence that Maynor was bringing the drug into the jail. Maynor's cellphone records also provided supporting information.
Detective Lt. Brian Dziedzinski confronted Maynor on July 28, the day he was fired, with the evidence gathered from the investigation.
Maynor admitted that he made a one-time mistake in bringing the 'paper' product that the inmate requested into the jail.
But Dziedzinski noted that it was more than once, and Maynor agreed that was the case.
Maynor said he didn't realize at first that when he brought the paper to his old neighborhood friend, the inmates were smoking it. He told the detective that 'he knew the delivery was suspect, but he doesn't have street smarts,' according to court documents.
After about the third time he brought the paper into the jail, Maynor said, 'he felt bad' and realized that he was bringing the drug into the facility. He also observed that inmates who had smoked the paper would act 'crazy.'
Dziedzinski said his investigation found that the drug had been trafficked into the facility between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025.
An initial hearing was held Thursday before Porter Superior Court Judge Rebecca Buitendorp.
