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Authorities on July 29 received a report from the jail saying that an inmate was in possession of "illegal contraband" inside their cell, according to the Delaware County District Attorney's Office.
In response, jail staff searched the inmate's cell, which turned up 10 packages of buprenorphine and naloxone film, also known as suboxone, authorities said.
Investigators found that on several occasions, Shahonda Groves, 49, of Magnolia, met with an individual who had facilitated the exchange of drugs and cash in the facility, the DA's office said.
Groves would then smuggle the drugs into the Correctional Facility and eventually to an inmate, authorities said.
“Smuggling drugs into jails endangers inmates, jail staff, and the public. The fact that the contraband, in this case, was being smuggled in by a corrections officer, whose duty it was to protect our citizens, makes this crime even more egregious, and does a disservice to all the honorable men and women who work in the field of corrections,” DA Jack Stollsteimer said.
“We will prosecute those caught smuggling contraband into George W. Hill to the fullest extent of the law, and those caught with contraband in jail will also face serious punishment.”
“I want to commend the members of the Delaware County Drug Task Force, led by CID Sgt. Anthony Ruggeri and Deputy DA Laurie Moore. I would also like to specifically commend the hard work of Task Force members Detective Brian Alexander of the Criminal Investigation Division and Detective Sean Gallagher of the Darby Township Police Department. Finally, I want to express my deep appreciation to the staff at the George W. Hill Correctional Facility for their critical support of this investigation,” Stollsteimer added.
Groves was arraigned by Magistrate Leonard Tenaglia and bail was set at 10 percent of $500,000. She was remanded to the George W. Hill Correctional Facility.
Her preliminary hearing is set for August 24, court records show.
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