TUCSON, AZ -- The U.S. Attorney's Office says an inmate has been sentenced to an extra 33 months in federal prison after prison staff found a plastic shank hidden in the hemline of his pants.
Joseph William Nichols, 31, was already serving a 66-month sentence for a Texas bank robbery.
In August 2007, Nichols was assigned to the kitchen staff at the Federal Penitentiary in Tucson, according to a news release.
Officials say a supervisor saw Nichols pulling down his shirt, acting suspiciously and he appeared to have something hidden in his pants.
The kitchen area was sealed off and agents found a 6-inch plastic shank made from a chair in his cell.
A search of the kitchen uncovered two packages hidden under a pan on a table. Among the items found were knife and razor blades, syringes and needles, a cellular phone, tubes of super glue, sexually explicit photos, disposable lighters and chewing gum.
Nichols pleaded guilty in August 2009 to possessing contraband in prison.
