Nathan Hale, right, sits with his attorney, William Burton, while pleading guilty to a bill of information Friday. The former corrections officer was arrested in September 2019 and was charged with theft and tampering with records. (Photo by Michele Newbanks)

A former corrections officer at the Washington County Jail pleaded guilty to a bill of information Friday morning for the unauthorized use of a computer, cable or telecommunications property, a fifth-degree felony.

Nathan Hale, 27, of 112 Sierra Drive, Marietta, was originally charged with theft, a fifth-degree felony; and tampering with records, a third-degree felony.

Washington County Assistant Prosecutor David Silwani said as part of the plea agreement, the original charges would be dropped and he would plead guilty to the new charge.

According to police reports, while conducting a routine review of work products in September 2019, a lieutenant became aware that an inmate had made allegations against Hale. The allegations were that Hale was providing monetary compensations or credit to multiple inmates housed at the Washington County Jail.

The sheriff’s office said after they spoke with Hale, an investigation began.

The investigation revealed that Hale had been placing money in the accounts of the inmates by using a Keefe Commissary System to refund purchases made from the inmates’ accounts.

The sheriff’s office reported it went on from the last part of May 2019 until September 2019.

Hale’s guilty plea was to the offense of unauthorized use of a computer, as he had been using multiple officers’ log-in credentials to hide his actions, the police report noted.

The audit of the Keefe program showed that $282.22 was refunded to seven inmates, using a total of 33 transactions.

Washington County Common Pleas Judge John Halliday said Hale was facing a maximum of 12 months in prison, a $2,500 fine and two years of post-release control.

His sentencing will be in Halliday’s courtroom at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 28.