Longtime Sheriff’s officer arrested for bringing drugs into Jail Annex

EL PASO, Texas ( KTSM ) — A 35-year veteran of the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office was arrested and charged Tuesday, July 30 in connection with bringing illegal drugs into the El Paso County Jail Annex, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Detention Lt. Lance Brown was arrested and charged with organized criminal activity under a $10,000 bond, the Sheriff’s Office said.

He has since bonded out and has resigned from the Sheriff’s Office, according to EPCSO.

The drugs were identified as synthetic cannabis, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Earlier this month, the Sheriff’s Office received information that an inmate at the Jail Annex had been receiving illegal drugs from outside the facility and was distributing them to other inmates, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Brown was identified through an investigation as the individual who was bringing drugs into the facility and to the inmate, the Sheriff’s Office said.

“The illegal acts of this high-ranking Sheriff’s Office employee are reprehensible and placed the health of inmates in jeopardy.  Criminal acts will not be tolerated and those responsible will be held accountable,” El Paso County Sheriff Richard Wiles said.

According to court documents given to the media, Sheriff’s detectives learned that an inmate was having synthetic cannabis smuggled into the Jail Annex. Detectives also learned that the inmate’s sister would apply the synthetic cannabinoids to sheets of paper which were then given to the inmate’s girlfriend, according to court documents.

The girlfriend would then deliver the sheets of paper to Brown, the detention lieutenant, according to court documents.

The drugs would then either be smoked by the inmate or sold to other inmates, according to court documents.

Brown was paid by the either the sister or girlfriend through an online cash transfer app, according to court documents.

Court documents also say the inmate was a member of the Gangster Disciples Street Gang.

Detectives then started monitoring the inmate’s calls and he was heard several times directing his girlfriend on when to deliver the drugs to Brown, according to court documents.

Shortly before 10 p.m. on Monday, July 19, Sheriff’s Office detectives were monitoring the Jail Annex parking lot when they received notification that the inmate had communicated to his girlfriend about a delivery.

The girlfriend arrived and entered the lobby with a folder in her hands. Brown was then contacted by detectives and they found that he had several sheets of paper.

The sheets of paper were secured as evidence and a drug-sniffing dog was brought in. The dog, “Walter,” alerted positive to the papers that Brown was in possession of, according to court documents.

Brown was dismissed from his shift of duty at that time, according to court documents.

Two different front-desk employees at the Jail Annex also told detectives that on several occasions that the inmate’s girlfriend had delivered folders with sheets of paper and had specifically asked for Brown, according to court documents.

Detectives also used scientific testing on the sheets of paper to identify that they contained synthetic cannabis, according to court documents.

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