Hutchinson inmate sentenced to more than 6 years for conspiring with Lawrence felon to throw meth over prison wall

photo by: Kansas Department of Corrections

Tommie Baggett

The other half of a duo who conspired to throw drugs over a state prison wall has now been sentenced to six and a half years in federal prison.

Tommie Baggett, 26, was an inmate at the state prison in Hutchinson when he arranged with another felon — Jermel Fleming, 33, of Lawrence — to have a package of methamphetamine thrown over the wall. While Fleming was outside of the prison, Baggett gave him instructions over the phone, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Baggett used the prison phone system, which recorded the call.

photo by: Kansas Department of Corrections

Jermel Fleming

Fleming, who had formerly been incarcerated at Hutchinson, threw the package over the wall but at the wrong location, and prison officials intercepted it, the release said. The package contained 247.94 grams of pure methamphetamine, or approximately half a pound.

Fleming was sentenced to eight years in prison, as the Journal-World reported in March. He pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of a controlled substance.

Baggett pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute meth.

Both men have numerous felonies on their records. Fleming was convicted of aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary, kidnapping, conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery and theft in Douglas County in 2010 and attempted robbery in 2017. Baggett has numerous sex-crime convictions, as well as battery, burglary and drug convictions going back to 2017.

Kansas Department of Corrections records indicate that Fleming was last discharged from prison supervision in April 2024. While previously incarcerated in three prisons — first El Dorado, then Lansing and Hutchinson — Fleming racked up more than 140 disciplinary reports for violations including contraband, theft, arson, battery, fighting, having a weapon, having sexually explicit material, misusing state property and more. Baggett has a similar list of disciplinary actions, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.