The Los Angeles Times is reporting that a Los Angeles Sheriff's Department jail guard has been arrested and charged with attempting to bring cocaine into the jail, in an effort to sell it to inmates.
Los Angeles drug charges can be serious, especially when government buildings, including jails and courthouses, are involved. When law enforcement officials are arrested, the news media will latch on and run the story for days.
Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyer Vincent Howard understands that anyone charged with a crime requires strong criminal representation. No one should go through a criminal case without knowing their rights, being able to question the state's witnesses and see all the evidence the state is attempting to use against him or her.
In this case, a 24-year-old employee -- who is not a deputy but who is employed by the department -- was arrested inside the jail recently. According to the newspaper article, the man, who has worked at the jail for four years, was allegedly attempting to enter the Men's Central Jail with cocaine when he was stopped.
He is now being held on $1 million bail. He faces charges of possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell, transportation of a controlled substance with intent to sell as well as a charge of bribery, sheriff's department officials say.
Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney Vincent Howard has seen news reports detailing the sheriff's investigations, which have included other officers within the department who have been the target of investigations. In this case, the newspaper says, officials investigated for four weeks before making an arrest.
In other situations, internal investigators have looked at sheriff's deputies and other staffers who have allegedly delivered or tried to deliver contraband into the jail. The allegation is that this is part of a larger drug trade that's going on inside the jail.
So far, the Times reports, three guards have been convicted and a fourth fired in recent years for trying to smuggle drugs into the jail to sell to inmates. The newspaper recently reported that the jail had problems with security after FBI agents were able to go undercover and get evidence of a deputy taking $1,500 to smuggle a cellphone to an inmate who was an informant.
Federal authorities are also looking at the jail regarding brutality and other police misconduct by jailers inside the facilities. A sheriff's deputy was also arrested recently and charged with trying to smuggle heroin into the courthouse through a burrito.
Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney Vincent Howard believes that no one should think they're above the law. Citizens certainly appreciate the police policing themselves. But as there are more arrests and more investigations, sheriff's deputies could end up getting a presumption of guilt in the public's eye, and that's a problem.
Regardless of who is arrested, every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. It's the only way our criminal justice system works. So, even as news reports continue looking into these investigations, it doesn't mean that every person charged is guilty. They all must have sound legal representation in order to fend of allegations that may be overstated.
If you or a loved one would like to speak to a criminal defense attorney in Los Angeles or in any of the surrounding areas, contact HOWARD LAW PC for a confidential appointment to discuss your rights. Call 1-800-872-5925.
More Blog Entries;
United States v. Culbertson Shows Plea Deal Not Always Smart in Los Angeles Drug Cases: February 13, 2012
Additional Resources:
Guard arrested on suspicion of smuggling cocaine into jail to sell, by Andrew Blankstein, Los Angeles Times
