(CENTRALIA, IL) — A 28-year-old Centralia man who has been held in the Marion County jail since his April 2014 arrest for attempted murder is now facing additional charges for allegedly bringing a controlled substance into the jail and for damage to jail property. According to Marion County Sheriff Rich Stevenson, Cedric Deon Powe had informed corrections officers that another inmate, 24-year-old T.J. Robert Chumley, had a shank hidden in his cell. An inspection of the cell did locate a shank hidden in the door jamb, but it was unclear at that time how the material for the shank — the handle of a dustpan — had been obtained. Stevenson says surveillance video clearly showed Powe breaking off the handle of a dustpan and placing the handle in his jumpsuit. The cell block was subsequently locked down and searched, revealing a pencil with a straw extension on the end. Inside the straw a Risperidone pill was found, according to Stevenson. Powe was initially charged with the savage December 2013 beating of his then girlfriend Chelsea Simmons. Powe subsequently fled the area and was not captured until April 2014 in St. Louis, Mo. He was then extradited back to Marion County, with bail set at half-million. A motion to reduce that bail has been denied, and Powe remained in jail, where he is now alleged to have brought in a controlled substance – a Class 1 felony, and to have damaged government property – a Class 4 felony. A February 2 jury trial has been scheduled in the attempted murder case. Bail on the latest charges against Powe has been set at $25,000, bringing the total bail for him to $525,000, or $52,500 cash bond. Chumley has also been charged with Class 1 felony bringing of a controlled substance into a penal institution. Chumley has been held in the Marion County jail since his October 2014 arrest on three counts Class 2 felony burglary charges. His bail was initially set at $25,000; however, for the charge filed this morning, it has been set at $50,000.

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