A contract medical assistant for the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta is wanted by authorities after an attempt to smuggle drugs and other contraband to inmates. She is on the run.
TreQuera Lashell Ford, 24, arrived for her Saturday shift, when a security deputy at the jail detected a strong odor of marijuana.
In her defense, Ford admitted to smoking marijuana before coming to work. As the deputy began to search her bag, Ford pretended she forgot something in her car, and fled, Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat reported to FOX5 Atlanta.
Upon inspection, jail personnel discovered Ford’s bag contained roughly 190 grams of marijuana, 20 grams of crack cocaine, two packs of chewing tobacco, 200 Newport cigarettes, and confidential medical information, according to a post by the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page on Sunday, May 15.
Contraband drugs are an age-old problem for corrections administrators, primarily due to substance abuse and violence related to drug trade.
As contraband phones became more available in prisons, drugs also became easily transacted, which appears to be the case in the Fulton County Jail incident.
A recorded phone call between Ford and some inmates revealed that she “bought saran wrap and coffee,” items typically used to mask the smell of drugs.
“There is evidence that proves, via phone call, that this may not be the only occasion of her doing this,” Sheriff Labat said.
Labat credited the guard’s “good instincts” and stressed a zero tolerance policy for smuggling contraband items into the jail.
While the incident raised doubts about the ethical standards of corrections personnel, authorities assure that contract employees undergo screenings, and suspect that Ford broke due to pressure from an internal contact.
“There is an expectation and legal requirement that individuals who are contractors providing services at the jail obey the law and work to maintain the safety of the facility and not put others at risk,” Labat said. “When someone violates that trust and the law, we are obligated to file criminal charges.”
Ford was issued a warrant for “crossing the guard line of a jail with prohibited items, possession of cocaine and marijuana with the intent to distribute, obstruction of a law enforcement officer and eluding a police officer.”
The fugitive was last seen driving a black Nissan Altima with vehicle plate 75AR44.
Anyone with information that can help investigators is requested to call 911, call the Crime Stoppers Greater Atlanta tip line at 404-577-TIPS (8477), or provide information online at atlantapolicefoundation.org/programs/crime-stoppers,
