Another week, another arrest.
In the seemingly never-ceasing string of foiled attempts by criminals to sneak illegal contraband into the Washington State Prison in Davisboro, the Sheriff’s Office has apprehended two additional individuals in the past week.
On Sunday, October 13, on-patrol Sheriff’s Office deputies were alerted of a drone allegedly attempting to complete a contraband drop over the prison.
When responding, a deputy observed a vehicle suspiciously stopped in the roadway on Highway 24.
As the deputy approached the scene, the driver of the stopped car sped away and ignored orders to pull over.
A short pursuit followed and was ended across the Jefferson County line.
Upon an inspection of the vehicle, a large amount of contraband was located. Responding deputies apprehended 24 packs of rolling paper, 4 cell phones and chargers, 15 lighters, 1 pair of tennis shoes, over 1,400 grams of tobacco, more than 380 grams of methamphetamine, and nearly 600 grams of marijuana.
Angel Rosemarie Jackson, 22 years old, of Decatur and Michael Liudel Beasley, Jr, 25 years old, of Lithonia were arrested for their roles in the nefarious activity.
The pair were charged with trading with inmates without the consent of the warden, conspiracy to commit a felony, trafficking methamphetamine, and possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute.
Jackson was also charged with fleeing, attempting to elude, and multiple other traffic violations.
Jerry Norman, age 26, of Fairburn is wanted for his alleged role in the incident. He remains at large.
The Sunday seizure followed an even larger amount of illicit items being found just a day prior.
On Saturday, October 12, Sheriff’s Office deputies and Department of Corrections officers were patrolling the surrounding vicinity of the Washington State Prison when they located prohibited objects that appeared to be packaged for illegal delivery inside of the facility.
Law enforcement apprehended nearly 9000 grams of tobacco, 60 grams of methamphetamine, over 90 grams of ecstasy, more than 3,500 grams of marijuana, 18.5 grams of adderall, 10 THC vape pens, 3 packages of THC edibles, 18 bottles of promethazine, 16 lighters, 15 phones, multiple articles of clothing, and a music speaker.
A machete and bolt cutters were also included in the incredible amount of criminal contraband.
An investigation is underway to determine the origins of the stash.
“Contraband like drugs and weapons is a real danger, not just for inmates, but for the staff who work at the prison. These illegal items threaten our security and put lives at risk,” said Washington County Sheriff Joel Cochran. “Our community needs to know that we’re doing everything possible to keep all people safe inside and outside of the prison. My office will continue working hard, strengthening partnerships, and improving our methods to stop the flow of contraband and keep the prison secure.”
Last week, Sheriff Cochran made national headlines with a humorous post to Facebook that went viral.
He stated that while deputies were assisting in storm-related response and clean-up efforts in Davisboro, they located another load of unlawful items seemingly prepared for illegal delivery inside the prison.
The Sheriff said that if any person would like to claim ownership of the package, they were invited to come see him and visit the ‘lost and found’ at 733 Kaolin Road in Sandersville (the location of the Sheriff’s Office.)
