New details on prison cell phones

(KXAN) - New details today in the fight to keep Texas prisoners from accessing contraband, specifically cell phones. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice said that a prison guard was caught trying to smuggle another cell phone this week. It happened at Stiles Prison Unit in Beaumont while the prisons were still on lockdown.

And just Thursday, prison officials announced they found another cell phone on Texas death row. Guards doing a routine search Thursday of convicted murderer Mark Stroman's prison cell found the phone stuffed in a sock.

A few weeks ago, death-row inmate Richard Tabler sparked a state-wide prison sweep after he called and threatened a Texas State Senator John Whitmire using a smuggled phone. That sparked the prison lockdown and a sweep that turned up 132  illegal phones.

Yet, it seems taking away Tabler's phone is not stopping him from making threats. It was just learned Friday that Tabler also wrote a threatening letter Senator Whitmire. Whitmore said that he is very concerned for his safety and the safety of his family.