A Central Mississippi Correctional Facility visitor has been arrested for allegedly giving drugs to a prisoner.
On July 11, 50-year-old Cheryl Gooch smuggled contraband in her waistband into the facility in Rankin County while visiting an inmate, according to the Mississippi Department of Corrections. The spice paper was found on the inmate during a search following their visit with Gooch, officials added.
A forensic analysis confirmed that the inmate tested positive for Fluoro ADB – a drug that causes severe health effects like hallucinations, seizures, psychosis, and sometimes death – in the amount of 55.68 grams.
Gooch was arrested at her home on Aug. 6 and is charged with possession of a controlled substance with the intent to distribute in a correctional facility, introduction of a controlled substance into a correctional facility, and conspiracy. Gooch is now being held in the Rankin County Jail on a $350,000 bond.
“We charged the visitor after getting the physical evidence and witness statements and conducting interviews and receiving the laboratory analysis,” the jail’s superintendent Matt Reynolds said. “We wanted to make sure we had taken all the necessary steps.”
The inmate will also likely be charged, according to officials at the correction facility.
