More people arrested over weekend in Stoddard County Jail probe

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Stoddard County sheriff's officers arrested a jail employee and others over the weekend in an ongoing investigation of suspected illegal activity at the Stoddard County Jail.

Melody D. Horn, 47, of Dexter, was arrested Saturday and charged with allowing delivery of prohibited items and escape, according to Sheriff Steve Fish's office.

Deputies said they received information that Horn was letting inmates leave the jail, visit a nearby residence to pick up contraband items and then bring the items back to jail. It was not clear Sunday as to what the contraband items were.

A nearby resident, Michelle Ray, 22, of Bloomfield was arrested and charged with delivery on premises of prohibited items and escape.

Inmates Danny Wayne Ray Sr., 39, and Jamie William Schaefer, 26, both of Dexter, were charged with concealment on premises of prohibited items, the sheriff's office said.

The investigation first resulted in the arrest of former jailer Jason Vandiver.

Vandiver, 20, of Essex, Mo., was charged with distributing a controlled substance and sexual contact with an inmate on Aug. 30. His bond was set at $50,000.

Horn was being held at the Dexter City Jail, while the others arrested during the weekend were held at the Stoddard County Jail.