An active investigation is underway at the Marion County Sheriff’s office to determine if a tray of fresh chicken may have been used to sneak methamphetamine into the county jail.
Thirty-three-year-old Leigh Blackmon, who is facing charges in criminal cases open in Baxter and Marion Counties, is reported to have been involved with two others in devising and carrying out a plan to smuggle the methamphetamine into the jail.
A 309 inmate is said to have found and reported a substance that did field tested positive for methamphetamine in the kitchen area of the detention center. A used syringe was also located in the same area.
A 309 inmate is a state prisoner transferred to a city or county jail where they do various jobs including general maintenance, kitchen work and other duties under supervision. The program was made possible by Act 309 of 1983 which was passed to free up state prison beds, benefit local jails by reimbursing them for holding the state inmates and providing a source of labor for jails.
After the meth was found, records, phone calls and video captured by surveillance cameras were all checked to determine how the drug got into the jail and who was involved.
According to the probable cause affidavit, conversations between Blackmon, another male inmate – referred to only as Bartlett – and a female on the outside were reviewed.
Some of the conversations were reported to have focused on smuggling meth into the jail.
The female, who is identified as Blackmon’s girlfriend, 31-year-old Chelsea Holland, is reported to have said on one call that she was on her way to the jail with the “chicken” and in another comment, she mentioned she had “raw chicken” all over her hands.
She is also reported to have said the meth was placed under a “pad,” apparently referring to the material placed in the bottom of Styrofoam trays in which chicken is displayed in markets to soak up liquids.
When she arrived, video surveillance is reported to have shown her handing a package to a jailer who accepted it and then passed it to Blackmon who took it to the kitchen.
It was unclear from initial readings of the affidavits whether the three people involved were using code for methamphetamine or were actually bringing fresh chicken into the jail and using it to hide the drug.
Several sources have since said the meth was smuggled into the jail in a package of chicken.
Marion County jail policy prohibits bringing food from the outside to be cooked for inmates, making both the meth and the chicken contraband items that should not have been allowed inside.
KTLO, Classic Hits and The Boot News reached out to the Marion County Sheriff’s office with a number of questions related to the incident, but we were told none could be answered because the case has not been adjudicated.
Holland and Blackmon have been charged with furnishing prohibited articles in connection with the meth smuggling operation. It is not clear if the third person, referred to only as Bartlett, was charged.
According to court records, both Blackmon and Holland pled not guilty to the charges against them on April 23. The records also indicate Holland did not show up for a court appearance in August and a warrant was issued for her arrest.
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