Heather O’Neill (Photo courtesy of Baxter County Sheriff’s Office)
A Baxter County Detention Center inmate was accused of keeping methamphetamine in her cell after another inmate showed the substance to a jailer. Forty-seven-year-old Heather O’Neill of Gassville is facing charges of furnishing prohibited articles and possession of methamphetamine or cocaine with the purpose to deliver.
According to an incident report, a jailer started the pill call for female inmates on Feb. 3. An inmate approached and placed a few pieces of paper on the cart, and one was folded into a square. While the jailer was unfolding the paper, the inmate wrote O’Neill’s name on another piece of paper. The inmate claimed she asked O’Neill for methamphetamine with the intention of bringing it to the jailer. The inmate also stated she believed there was more of the substance in the pod.
Later that evening, the jailer advised the night shift assistance was needed for a “shake down.” A few minutes later, a matron advised the jailer O’Neill had removed an item from a sock and put it in her pants. The jailer and another matron conducted a strip search on O’Neill. At one point during the search, O’Neill reportedly stated she needed to use the restroom, but the jailer told her she would not be using the toilet. Shorty after, a small bag containing a white crystalline substance fell to the floor. O’Neill handed the bag to the jailer and apologized. The substance, including packaging, reportedly weighed 8 grams.
O’Neill had been booked earlier in the morning for non-payment of fines and failure to appear. Online jail record show her bond is now set at $10,430.
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