A GED instructor trusted to help jail inmates work toward a better future is now accused of using that access to smuggle drugs into a detention center just across the Ohio River.
According to a release from the Greenup County Detention Center, Crystal Hazlett, 45, a contracted GED instructor assigned to the facility, was arrested after an investigation into illegal substances being brought into the jail.
Officials said Sheriff John Kirk and officers with the Martin County Sheriff’s Department executed an arrest warrant for Hazlett at her home in Inez.
Hazlett faces charges of promoting contraband in the first degree and trafficking in a controlled substance in the second degree. Both are Class D felonies in Kentucky.
According to the release, the investigation was led by Lt. Elizabeth Lucas after officials received information about illegal items entering inmate housing areas.
Investigators said Hazlett was trusted to provide educational services to inmates but allegedly used that access to get around normal security screening.
Deputies said they recovered Suboxone intended for distribution inside the jail.
Greenup County Jailer Larry Pancake said the facility has a zero-tolerance policy for anyone who compromises jail safety.
“We have a zero-tolerance policy for anyone who compromises the safety of our facility,” Pancake said. “Thanks to the diligent work of Lt. Lucas, Chief Robert Senters and jail staff we were able to quickly intercept these illicit substances and protect both our staff and the inmate population.”
Hazlett has reportedly been terminated from her position.
She was booked into the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center in Paintsville and was awaiting transport back to the Greenup County Detention Center.
Officials said the investigation is ongoing and additional charges may be filed.
Betrayal of Trust
GED programs in jails and prisons matter.
For many inmates, education is one of the few real tools available to change what happens after release. Earning a GED can help someone qualify for a job, enter training, continue education, and prove to themselves they can still build something better.
That is why these programs require trust.
A teacher, counselor, or treatment worker entering a jail or prison is not just another visitor. They are supposed to be part of the solution. They are given access because their job is to help people get ready for life on the outside, not feed the same addictions and criminal networks that helped put some of them behind bars.
That is what makes allegations like this such a serious betrayal.
Scioto County has seen a similar case before.
Three years ago, a prison mental health and addiction worker at Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville admitted in court that she was part of a drug trafficking scheme involving inmates.
Shelly Mathias, then 43, pleaded guilty in Scioto County Common Pleas Court to multiple counts of trafficking in drugs and illegal conveyance of drugs into a government facility.
Authorities said Mathias conspired with inmates to smuggle drugs into the prison, including fentanyl. Judge Mark Kuhn later sentenced her to 4 years and 11 months in prison.
That case shocked many workers at SOCF, especially because Mathias had been employed in addiction counseling. Former coworkers said they felt betrayed, both as prison employees and as people who believed she was supposed to be helping addicted inmates recover.
The danger is not just the drugs.
Contraband inside a jail or prison can fuel violence, intimidation, debt, overdoses, and corruption. It puts corrections officers, medical staff, counselors, teachers, and inmates at risk.
It also undermines legitimate programs, including GED classes, counseling, treatment, and reentry work.
Most jail and prison educators do important, difficult work with little public recognition. But when someone in a trusted position is accused of smuggling drugs, it damages far more than one case.
It damages trust in the very programs meant to help people leave jail better than they entered it.
The charges against Hazlett are allegations. She is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
