Detention Drug Smuggling Blues?

We’ve had several comments about drugs/contraband smuggled into the Lauderdale Detention Center. Perhaps the salient question isn’t how it’s done, but who does it? We have five possibilities:

1. Trusties - These men and women leave the jail and return without being searched, at least completely. It would seem logical that they are the most likely source.

2. Dietician/Cooks – We have no idea how many are employed in this capacity at the detention center, but they do have free access to many parts of the facility.

3. Nurses/Medical personnel – These are always a possibility, but would they risk their licenses for a relatively small amount of money? Obviously some would.

4. Attorneys - Again, would these individuals risk their license for what amounts to pocket change? Chip Dillard was being investigated at the time of his arrest on human trafficking charges. No drug smuggling charges have been brought—probably because authorities know he will be going south for a long time simply on the attorney general’s charges. He’s surrendered his law license and will probably never again enter such a facility as a visitor. Have other attorneys done the same? We hear that some have; not all local attorneys are filthy rich, nor are they all honest.

5. Correction Officers – Next to trusties, these are the most likely to have opportunity and need of extra money. We’re happy to say that since Rick Singleton was elected sheriff, there has been a dramatic decline in complaints about the detention center and the office of sheriff itself.

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We understand that one reason Chip Dillard was moved to the Franklin County Detention Center was his drug contacts in the Lauderdale facility. We also understand that records of clients and the money they paid to him were not to be found in his office. That might just make a few of his former clients a little inclined to want to take it up with him personally.

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Threats from prisoners? For some time, we’ve received communications from an individual who has been monitoring a FB account allegedly belonging to Holman inmate Jerry Don Crowden. He’s again contacted us about new threats in the past few days.

Our advice to him or anyone else being threatened by a state inmate is to report it to the proper authorities. If you think the authorities are taking too long to investigate or not doing a thorough job, you can call or write the prison’s warden directly.

Yes, there are employees there who are paid to turn a blind eye to such flagrant violations, but not all of them are on the take. We believe most do their job with integrity.

On a related note, we've been asked why an intelligent, attractive woman would align herself with a career criminal who will never see the free world for at least 17 more years? If we knew that, we would be writing a best seller...

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Reporting child abuse/neglect? We recently received a photo from a reader that depicts some very bad parenting at a party where alcohol was obviously present. Our advice to those who are concerned about an infant’s safety is the same as to the reader referenced above. Report this couple to DHR. They may simply need some parenting classes...and see remark above about women who are drawn to career criminals.

We appreciate the heads up on the father, but there’s still nothing we can do ourselves to prevent injury to this child. DHR is hardly perfect, but it remains the most direct route to protect this or any child.