ANGOLA — A Louisiana State Penitentiary employee was placed on leave after he was arrested on contraband charges, the state Department of Public Safety and Corrections said. 

Joseph McNeely, 29, was arrested on March 2 by the West Feliciana Parish Sheriff’s Office and charged with introduction to contraband. McNeely, who has worked with the department for 11 years, is a corrections major at Angola.

According to DOC, McNeely is currently on leave pending an investigation. 

Several employees at DOC facilities have been arrested over the last several months, including one Elayn Hunt Correctional Facility major arrested after she allegedly gave birth to an inmate's child.