An inmate already serving a life sentence has been convicted on a charge related to concealing a contraband cellphone in a homemade knee brace.

Scott Cheever, 44, an inmate at Lansing Correctional Facility, pleaded no contest to one count of attempted trafficking in contraband during a hearing on Friday, according to a release from the office of Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson.

Cheever is currently serving a life sentence for the January 2005 shooting death of Greenwood County Sheriff Matthew Samuels.

According to court documents, on Nov. 22, 2024, Cheever was housed at the Lansing Correctional Facility when correctional officers conducted a search of his person and cell.

During the search, officers discovered a contraband cellphone wrapped inside a homemade knee brace Cheever was wearing on his right knee.

“Cellphones can be one of the most dangerous pieces of contraband a resident of a correctional facility can possess simply due to the mere fact that cellphones can be used for unmonitored communication, leading to increased risk of harm to others within the facility,” Thompson said.