CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — Two men accused of masterminding a scheme to smuggle drugs and cellphones into Ohio prisons, including facilities in Ross County, were sentenced this week, according to Franklin County Court of Common Pleas records. The case adds to a tumultuous six months for Ross County’s prison system, which has faced heightened scrutiny following the death of a corrections officer and allegations of systemic issues.
Robert Faulkner, Cory Sutphin, and Charles Gibbs were indicted on 60 counts, including aggravated trafficking in drugs, engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, and illegal conveyance of drugs onto governmental facility grounds. All three pleaded guilty. Prosecutors say they used drones to drop contraband at five Ohio prisons, including Ross County’s Chillicothe Correctional Institution and Ross Correctional Institution, between May and November 2021. Sutphin received nearly five years in prison, Gibbs got 10 years, and Faulkner’s sentencing is set for April 29.
Ross County is home to two state prisons that play a critical role in the region’s identity and economy. The Ross Correctional Institution, a close-security facility, houses Ohio’s death row when the state relocated the unit from the adjacent Chillicothe Correctional Institution. Together, the prisons incarcerate over 4,000 inmates and employ hundreds, but recent events have cast a shadow over their operations.
The most shocking incident occurred on Christmas Day 2024, when Corrections Officer Andrew Lansing, 62, was fatally assaulted at Ross Correctional Institution. Authorities say inmate Rashawn Cannon, 27, attacked Lansing in a guard shack, leaving him with a brain bleed and broken teeth. Lansing, a 40-year veteran of Ohio’s prison system, died at a hospital, prompting outrage and grief. Cannon, serving an eight-year sentence for felonious assault, was indicted in March 2025 on two counts of aggravated murder and faced a judge for the first time on April 3. The Ohio State Highway Patrol continues to investigate, with some speculating the attack may have been retaliation for a disciplinary write-up Lansing filed against Cannon in April 2024.
The killing sparked immediate fallout. The prison went into lockdown, restricting inmate movement, and the Ohio Civil Service Employees Association, the corrections officers’ union, demanded the suspension of the Ross Warden and Department of Rehabilitation and Correction Director Annette Chambers-Smith. Union President Chris Mabe cited chronic understaffing—up to 40 vacant positions at Ross—and called for higher pay and better security. Lansing’s family, in a February 2025 statement, echoed these concerns, blaming faulty alarm systems, lax escort policies, and staffing shortages for his death, urging sweeping prison reform.
Since Lansing’s killing, allegations of retaliation have surfaced. Inmates and their families reported to media outlets like 13abc in January 2025 that guards were shutting off body cameras, using excessive force, and denying showers in the aftermath. A December inspection by the Correctional Institution Inspection Committee found no visible signs of abuse but did not review camera footage.
Ross County’s prisons have long grappled with violence. A September 2024 General Assembly report noted 34 staff assaults at Ross Correctional Institution in 2023, down slightly from 2022, but inmate fights surged 23%, with over 1,000 incidents—more than any other medium-security prison in Ohio. The facility’s reputation for unrest predates these events, with at least six inmate deaths since 2021, including suicides and a beating.