One of four people charged with allegedly bringing drugs into the Sacramento County Main Jail was contracted to work at the location.
Zareonna Harris, 23, was working as a medical assistant at the downtown jail when she was arrested last month, The Sacramento Bee reported citing court documents.
Officials intercepted Harris as she smuggled 1.2 grams of meth, about two grams of powder cocaine, a cellphone and escape tools into the jail.
Fentanyl was also among the drugs Harris brought into the jail, along with heroin and weed. According to the report, Harris admitted to bringing in drugs on at least four other occasions and was paid $1,000 to $3,000 each time.
"Defendant Harris was working as a medical assistant at the jail and was using her employment, security clearance and position of trust to bring controlled substances into the jail for the purpose of sale," the document states, per the report.
Sacramento-based Avid Healthcare Services confirmed to The Sacramento Bee that it employed Harris on a per diem basis.
"Avid HCS has a strong relationship with the county going on 5 plus years; that continues to provide healthcare workers with opportunities for gainful employment as contracted staff in this economy," the company said in an email to the newspaper. "Working together with county corrections for clearance and placement of staff is a judicious, multi-step process that we continue to iterate as required. One person clearly misusing an opportunity that could have been extended to someone else in a competitive industry is unfortunate."
Three other people were arrested and charged with attempting to smuggle drugs into the jail: Donald Zackery, 24, Tomani Zackery, 23, and James Whitfield, 45, KXTV reported.
The investigation is ongoing.
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