Austin Drummond, the man accused of quadruple homicide, has been moved to a state prison following a judge's orders due to his disruptive behavior in jail while awaiting trial. Action News 5 reported that Drummond's courtroom appearance on Monday was initially for unrelated charges, but the decision to move him came after law enforcement testified about his conduct, which included smearing feces and hanging papers over windows, causing a security risk.
During his time in Obion County Jail, Drummond was found with 39 Suboxone tablets, adding to the concerns about his behavior in custody. In his decision, Judge Mark Hayes remarked on the "audacity" of Drummond to criticize the correctional staff's decision to move him to a facility better equipped to manage him, a sentiment echoed in statements obtained by FOX13 Memphis. Sheriff Karl Jackson testified, anticipating the loss of correctional officers, and expressed the need to have two officers consistently monitoring Drummond with body cameras for security reasons.
The district attorney, Andrew Hays, cited Drummond's past disciplinary issues and highlighted the necessity of a transfer due to Drummond posing "a significant behavioral and security risk," according to details from Action News 5. Authorities claim Drummond committed the murders of the family members in Lake County after being released from a previous sentence, which was followed by a weeklong manhunt before his capture in Jackson, Tennessee.
Drummond's attorney, Drew Farmer, expressed concerns about the implications of his client's relocation on their trial preparation, saying, "Nobody from the Department of Corrections has been able to tell us where they are taking our client," in a statement obtained by NewsNation Now. Judge Hayes has ordered that Drummond's lawyer be informed of the facility location at least 14 days before the transfer; however, the exact location where Drummond will be housed has yet to be disclosed. Despite the challenges outlined by his defense, Drummond is set to be back in court in November with a co-defendant over the fight at the correctional facility. His behavior continues to shape the conditions of his confinement as his trial approaches.
