LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A month after he took over control of Louisville Metro Corrections, Jerry Collins is being praised for his crackdown on drugs inside the jail.

Tracy Dotson, the spokesman for FOP Lodge 77, the jail union, said a recent drug bust at the jail is credit to Collins.

Last week, FOP President Daniel Johnson said the investigation began when Metro Corrections personnel learned that Marissa Brown, also known as Carlotta Phillips, 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.

And after her arrest, Johnson said the Metro Corrections Special Operations Team searched the food service area. During that search, they allegedly found 14 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.

Marissa Brown, who also goes by the name Carlotta Phillips

Marissa Brown, who also goes by the name Carlotta Phillips (Source: Louisville Metro Corrections)

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.

Dotson with Metro Corrections FOP said the drug bust points to a new era of leadership under Director Collins.

"We've been begging for that for our staff for years," Dotson said. "It looks like with current leadership that it's finally being heard, and we're appreciative."

Collins said he's cracking down on drugs and takes security seriously.

"We're constantly going to be looking at different ways that comes in, increasing our security, increasing our technology to keep that out," he said. "But when you're dealing with that, you have to act quickly."

Especially in a fentanyl case, Collins said it could risk the safety of corrections officers too.

"If you regard the lives of our inmates and our staff that way, we're going to regard your freedom that way," Collins said. "And we're going to arrest you and we're going to charge you."

During his first week on the job, Collins announced updated body scanners at LMDC, increased searches and working in more K9 drug detection efforts.

David James, president of Louisville Metro Council, also praised Collins, saying that he'd done "an outstanding job."

"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."

Related Stories:

Copyright 2022 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.