What should have been a routine trip through the booking process quickly became a much bigger problem when jail staff allegedly discovered drugs hidden in a woman’s underwear.
According to a report, the woman was warned multiple times before entering the jail that bringing contraband into a correctional facility could result in additional felony charges.
When asked whether she had anything on her person that she should not have, she reportedly insisted she did not.
That answer didn’t hold up for long.
As part of the booking process, the woman was instructed to change from her street clothes into jail-issued clothing. While removing her clothing, staff noticed her attempting to turn away and conceal an item hidden in her underwear.
The suspicious movement immediately caught the attention of corrections staff.
Investigators say they recovered a paper towel containing two small plastic baggies.
Inside one bag was a crystal-like substance that field-tested positive for both methamphetamine and fentanyl.
The second bag reportedly contained a collection of peach-colored pills.
According to the report, there were 17 whole pills and eight half pills inside the package.
The woman allegedly told officers she believed the pills were Xanax and claimed she had a prescription for them.
She offered a different explanation for the suspected narcotics.
According to the report, she claimed the crystal-like substance did not belong to her and suggested it may have belonged to her father.
By that point, however, investigators say the drugs had already been discovered hidden on her person inside the jail.
The incident occurred during the booking process at the Lawrence County Jail.
As a result, the woman was charged with Possession of Methamphetamine and Illegal Conveyance of Drugs into a Detention Facility.
The evidence has been collected and will be submitted to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation for additional testing.
Why Bringing Drugs Into Jail Makes Things Worse
Law enforcement officials routinely warn suspects that attempting to smuggle drugs or other contraband into a jail can create far more serious legal problems than the charges that brought them there in the first place.
Many inmates assume that if they remain silent about drugs hidden in their clothing or personal belongings, they can avoid detection.
Instead, the discovery often leads to new felony charges on top of any existing criminal case.
Jails use a variety of screening procedures during intake, and corrections officers are trained to watch for suspicious behavior during the change-out process.
In this case, what may have started as a routine booking reportedly ended with additional felony charges after drugs were allegedly found hidden in a place investigators say they shouldn’t have been.
