A plot to introduce narcotics into the Marion County Jail was foiled by a correctional officer who tipped off authorities and put together a sting operation.
Inmates often attempt to get staff to bring in illegal items for them. In the case of one inmate at the Marion County Correctional Facility, that attempt was a failure due to the integrity of an employee.
On Jan. 13, the Marion County Sheriff's Office was notified by the correctional facility staff about the plot.
An inmate at the facility had approached an employee requesting them to bring contraband into the jail. The employee immediately alerted administration of the request.
Investigators learned the inmate wanted the employee to meet his mom in the parking lot of a local grocery store. Their mom would give the employee a plate of food with contraband concealed in it to bring to him in the jail.
Investigators set up surveillance at the meeting location. The employee was in contact with the mom to advise when the transfer would take place. The employee met Sharon Yvette Kendricks, who gave the employee a plate of food and payment for making the delivery into the jail.
Kendricks was taken into custody. Two packages of narcotics were found concealed in the food. Kendricks has been charged with two counts of the sale of a controlled substance within 1,500 feet of a church and conspiracy to introduce contraband into a correctional facility. Her bond was set at $100,000, but she has since bonded out.
The investigation is ongoing and more arrests are imminent, according to Capt. Pete Williams of the sheriff's office.
