Two men and a woman were arrested after attempting to smuggle drugs into the Wayne County Jail by trafficking drugs to an inmate visiting the county courthouse, said Sheriff Randy Retter.
The arrests took place Thursday as a result of a joint investigation involving the Wayne County Drug Task Force and Wayne County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators had received intelligence relating to a person planning to smuggle drugs into the Wayne County Jail by trafficking the drugs to an inmate waiting for a hearing in the Wayne County Courthouse, Retter said in a news release late Thursday evening.
With the assistance of Wayne County Courthouse security officers, detectives from the Wayne County Drug Task Force set up surveillance based on the information learned, then witnessed the transaction, Retter said.
DTF detectives, county jail deputies and courthouse security immediately intervened, seizing evidence and making the arrests, Retter said.
Those arrested were:
Dillon G Fultz, 27, of Indiana Avenue in Richmond, on a charge of dealing methamphetamine (a Level 5 felony);
Loren Hatfield, 34, of Richmond Avenue in Richmond, on charges of dealing methamphetamine and possession of methamphetamine (Level 5 and Level 6 felonies, respectively);
Lanny Fultz (the inmate), 46, who previously lived on North 19th Street in Richmond before being incarcerated, on a charge of possession of methamphetamine with the intent to deliver (Level 5 felony). Jail records show Fultz was arrested in January on charges of resisting law enforcement (A misdemeanor) and failure to appear on a felony charge, a Level 6 felony.
Retter said additional investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident continues.