JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. (WJHL) — A Grand Jury passed down indictments to three Jonesborough residents — two of whom were already inmates — and accused them of bringing drugs into the Washington County Detention Center.
A news release from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) identified the current inmates as Jared Shaffer, 22, and Shawn Thrift, 38. Shaffer’s mother, identified as Melissa Shaffer Love, reportedly attempted to give the inmates 13 suboxone strips and 11 suboxone pills.
Deputies thwarted the efforts after reading text messages from communication devices used by the inmates called Chirpers. Chirpers are similar to cell phones but can only send and receive text messages and are available to the inmates with a fee for each message. The devices are monitored by deputies and cannot send nor receive video or voice calls.
Shaffer had originally been in the detention center for two counts of probation violation and three counts of failure to appear. Thrift was originally booked for violation of probation.
Shaffer, Thrift and Love were all indicted for introducing contraband into a penal facility (conspiracy to commit). All three remain in the detention center, each with a $20,000 bond.
“This represents a small dent in our continuing efforts to address the problem of drugs inside our Detention Center,” said Sheriff Keith Sexton.
The WCSO anticipates more arrests in this case as the investigation remains ongoing.
