Corrections worker charged with trying to sneak contraband (including meth and spice) into Mississippi prison
Published 5:01 pm Tuesday, October 1, 2019
A Mississippi woman who was being trained as a corrections officer has been arrested and charged with bringing contraband — including drugs — into a state prison facility.
An investigation at the Pike County Community Work Center (CWC) has led to the arrest of an employee with the Mississippi Department of Corrections.
Correctional officer trainee Elizabeth Edmonds, 48, is charged with furnishing contraband to inmates and possessing a controlled substance in a correctional facility.
During a search at the CWC on Sept. 17, a package containing contraband items was found in Edmonds’ vehicle. Inside were two cellphones, a pair of Bluetooth headphones, a package of tobacco, a crystalline substance believed to be methamphetamine, and a leafy substance believed to contain spice.
“The Mississippi Department of Corrections has zero tolerance for any individual who aid in the introduction of contraband in our facilities,” Commissioner Pelicia E. Hall said.
Edmonds’ hire date was Feb. 19, 2019. She is no longer with the agency, and her case is being referred for prosecution.
A conviction under the contraband statute is punishable by three to 15 years in prison and $25,000 fine, or both; a conviction for selling or possessing a controlled substance carries a maximum $25,000 fine and from three to seven years in prison.
