Thirteen inmates at the Baxter County Detention Center are suspected of possessing and using contraband items, including drugs and drug paraphernalia, and are likely to face additional charges.
According to incident reports dated June 5, jail staff became aware that “drug usage” was allegedly taking place in one of the pods at the jail.
Video tapes from surveillance cameras were reviewed and inmates were seen involved in activities suggesting contraband items were being transferred between the men by various means and used by them.
After the initial review of the footage, jail staff began looking at other times and dates on the tape and detected additional suspected activity.
After pill call on June 2, for example, when medicine for inmates is distributed, two prisoners were seen taking pills out of their mouths. One inmate hid a pill in the waistband of his pants. The two men are suspected of “sharing” the medications with other prisoners.
The tapes are alleged to have shown “multiple inmates snorting a substance made by crushing pills,” some are seen passing small pieces of paper containing suspected illegal substances to other prisoners and an inmate sticking his nose into a paper and snorting a substance that had been placed on the paper.
According to the incident report, an inmate told jail staff he had been “shooting up” with a syringe he had gotten from another prisoner.
When asked what had happened to the syringe, the inmate said he had “flushed it” down the toilet.
The pod was shaken down and suspected drugs, including Xanax and what resembled the pill form of buprenorphine, along with a “straw” made from a rolled up playing card were located. Xanax is a widely used tranquilizer and buprenorphine is a synthetic opioid developed in the 1960s and used to treat pain and various opioid use disorders.
Another inmate was seen removing a “shower plate” and “grabbing something hidden” in a cavity behind the plate. Jail staff checked and found a wad of toilet paper stuffed in the space behind the shower plate. A syringe was found inside the toilet paper.
According to the incident report, it was obvious “that the syringe had been used”.
The inmates mentioned in the incident report are Randall Beard, Justin Combs, Jason Cotter, Michael Elliot, Perry Gatlin, Mason Grant, Logan Johnson, Justin Mclean, James Patterson, Randall Pool, David and Tyler Sutterfield and Austin Taylor.
All of the suspects are still locked up except Justin McClean who had been released prior to the review of surveillance camera video where suspected drug related activity was detected.
Prosecuting Attorney David Ethredge said Monday a decision on specific charges for the inmates had not been made but would most likely be furnishing a prohibited article or impairing operations of a vital public facility.
The charges will depend on the level of participation of each inmate.
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