Cole County Jail Inmate Sentenced for Contraband Drugs

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Jefferson City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for possessing illegal drugs while incarcerated in the Cole County Jail.

Waun Ramon Ivory, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann A. Ketchmark to eight years in federal prison without parole.

On Oct. 26, 2023, Ivory pleaded guilty to possessing contraband in prison. Ivory admitted that he was in possession of cocaine while incarcerated in the Cole County Jail.

According to court documents, Ivory was incarcerated pending a supervised release revocation hearing in an earlier case. In 2017, Ivory was convicted in federal court of being a felon in possession of a firearm, after a family member called 911 reporting that Ivory was carrying a firearm and threatening to “put a hole” in another person’s head. Ivory was sentenced to five years in prison; he was released to supervision on June 7, 2022.

Ivory failed to comply with the conditions of his supervision, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. Before he could be arrested, he was charged with a new offense after a woman reported she was assaulted by Ivory. The court revoked Ivory’s supervision and sentenced him to two years in prison.

While in the Cole County Jail pending the supervised release revocation, Ivory was caught in possession of cocaine on March 6, 2023. According to court documents, he also possessed a razor, unsheathed from its safety case. While this case has been pending, Ivory also was caught in possession of a weapon made from a toothbrush, as well as another razor.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren E. Kummerer. It was investigated by the U.S. Marshal’s Service and the Cole County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.