Woman charged for bringing drugs into county jail causing inmate overdoses

Updated 1:15 p.m. Aug. 31, with additional information from Sheriff Jesse Slaughter

Treya Plummer has been charged with multiple felonies for bringing drugs into the Cascade County Adult Detention Center and distributing those drugs to other inmates, causing overdoses.

On Aug. 15, the jail called for assistance for multiple inmates displaying symptoms consistent with an overdose, according to court documents.

The inmates displaying symptoms of an overdose were all housed in G-Pod, an all female block at the jail.

Sheriff Jesse Slaughter told The Electric that three inmates overdosed during the incident and several others were under the influence.

All three inmates were treated with Narcan.

One received two shots of Narcan and about three minutes of CPR; the second received two shots of Narcan and no CPR; the third received four shots of Narcan and about 10 minutes of CPR, according to Slaughter.

All three were transported to the hospital by ambulance and all have recovered and are back in the jail, Slaughter said.

During the investigation, officials learned that illegal drugs, believed to be fentanyl, were brought into the facility by a female recently arrived in G-Pod.

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A check of the recently booked inmates resulted in two females who had been booked between the evening of Aug. 14 and morning of Aug. 15.

One of those inmates was identified as Plummer, according to court documents.

The females in G-Pod were removed, strip searched and scanned with the facility’s body scanner in an attempt to locate the illegal drugs, according to court documents.

There were 41 female inmates in G-Pod at the time of the incident, according to Slaughter.

On Aug. 16, an inmate in G-Pod came forward with information regarding the recent overdoses and drug use.

“She was afraid of retaliation but wanted to provide information to prevent the possibility of further overdoses,” within the jail, according to court documents.

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The inmate said that Plummer brought in the illegal drugs, would sit on the toilet for an extended period of time and a short time later, inmates were consuming illegal drugs, according to court documents.

Plummer was brought again to the booking area, scanned and strip searched again before being placed in a dry cell, according to court documents. During the scan, suspicious areas were identified that appeared to be consistent with a foreign object within Plummer’s person and a round object consistent with a foreign object was observed but not recovered, according to court documents.

Slaughter told The Electric that the occurrence of illegal drugs within the jail has decreased since CCSO got the body scanner several years ago.

Slaughter said they recently caught several hundred fentanyl pills coming into the jail through the body scanner at booking.

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Initially, CCSO did a pilot program with one type of scanner that didn’t meet their needs and the department then purchased the current body scanner.

Slaughter said that people being booked go through a pat search, then a body scan.

Two officers must check the scan. Slaughter said staff are training on the scanner, but it can still be challenging to detect foreign objects.

If the criminal charges meet certain requirements, jail staff conducts unclothed body searches, Slaughter said.

Slaughter said in some instances, staff has called the medical team when they saw an anomaly that turned out to be a serious medical condition.

Slaughter said since they stopped all outside mail from going to inmates by scanning everything and sending them through the kiosk, they haven’t had drugs mailed into the facility.

They have had two other female inmates overdose in the jail this spring, after changing the mail procedures, Slaughter said.

On Aug. 17, Plummer’s cell was searched and a cup containing milk was found. When the milk was poured out, a blue pill was stuck to the side and bottom of the cup that was sent to the Montana State Crime Lab for testing, according to court documents.

On Aug. 23, Plummer was scanned again before being moved from the dry cell and suspicious areas were identified on her person.

Plummer was interviewed and she said she did not provide drugs to the other inmates causing the overdoses. She admitted to having methamphetamine but denied bringing fentanyl into the jail, according to the court documents.

During the interview, Plummer said the pull found in her milk cup was fentanyl that she obtained in the jail.

Investigators obtained a warrant to search Plummer’s person and she was brought to Benefis Health System. During the search, two items were removed from her person, one was a bag containing a blue powder-like substance consistent with fentanyl powder that was sent to the state crime lab for testing, according to court documents.

Plummer was charged with felony counts of transferring illegal articles (drugs); criminal distribution of dangerous drugs; criminal possession of dangerous drugs; and three felony counts of criminal endangerment.

Prosecutors requested a $100,000 bond.

Plummer has prior convictions in Washington for three felony counts of stolen property-trafficking; a felony county of burglary and assault; several misdemeanor theft convictions; having heroin; three misdemeanor assaults.

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Jenn Rowell