LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A contract employee who works at Louisville Metro Corrections was arrested Friday morning for sneaking narcotics into inmates of the facility.
According to Daniel Johnson, president of the Metro Corrections FOP, Marissa Brown, who also goes by the name Carlotta Phillips, was taken into custody. Johnson said Brown worked in food services.
Johnson said the investigation began when Metro Corrections personnel learned that Brown may have been sneaking the drugs into the jail. When Brown was confronted, Johnson said authorities found close to 60 pills in her possession.
According to court documents, Brown is charged with two counts of Promoting Contraband, first-degree Possession of a Controlled Substance and Possession of a Prescription Controlled Substance that's not in its Original Container.
After Brown's arrest, Johnson said the Metro Corrections Special Operations Team searched the food service area. During that search, they allegedly found several individually wrapped baggies of suspected fentanyl.
As a result of that discovery, Johnson said authorities charged inmate Carlos Spain with several counts, including first-degree Trafficking in a Controlled Substance, first-degree Promoting Contraband and Tampering with Physical Evidence.
Investigators are still trying to determine if Brown had any connection to the fentanyl, according to Johnson.
Later Friday morning, Metro Corrections Director Jerry Collins released a statement congratulating jail detectives for the discovery of the drugs and the arrests.
Louisville Metro Corrections Director Jerry Collins
"LMDC is committed to maintain a safe environment for the inmates and staff and will work relentlessly to eliminate dangerous narcotics," Collins wrote. "If anyone, employee or inmate, attempts to introduce dangerous contraband into the facility, we will make every effort to prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law."
David James, president of Louisville Metro Council, praised Collins, saying that he'd done "an outstanding job."
Carlos Spain (Source: Louisville Metro Corrections)
"It's really refreshing to have a new Metro Corrections Director," James said. "The former director was advised many times to look at contract employees and vendors as a possible source of contraband being brought into the jail and now that we have a new director, that's what he's done. And I'm so very proud of him and the work that he's doing."
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer named Collins the new director of Metro Corrections back in March. He took command in April, replacing former director Dwayne Clark who retired amid ongoing investigations into a series of recent jail deaths.
Seven inmates had died under his watch in the preceding four months leading up to March.
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