BY ANNIE HOLLER
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — An Inez woman who taught GED classes at the Greenup County Detention Center is accused of using a classroom book to pass inmates a Mother’s Day card containing 19 Suboxone strips, according to a criminal complaint filed in Greenup County District Court.
Crystal Hazlett, 45, of Bill Hammond Road, was arrested Aug. 6 in Inez by Martin County Sheriff’s Deputy J.C. Kirk. Her charges include first-degree promoting contraband and second-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.
Hazlett was a contracted GED instructor at the Greenup County Detention Center at the time of the alleged incident.
A criminal complaint sworn by Greenup County Detention Center Lt. Elizabeth Lucas alleges the exchange occurred shortly after noon Aug. 3 during a GED class inside the jail.
Lucas reported seeing a pink piece of paper tucked into the waistband of an inmate’s pants and reviewed surveillance footage to determine where it came from.
According to the complaint, video showed Hazlett entering Room 121 carrying a red book before inmates arrived for their scheduled class. As Hazlett flipped through the book, a pink card could be seen between its pages, Lucas said.
One inmate then picked up the book, opened it slightly and allowed the card to fall into his lap before concealing it in his waistband, the complaint states.
The inmates later moved to the detention center library to continue instruction. At approximately 2:53 p.m., Lucas allegedly saw an inmate pass an object beneath a table to another inmate.
Lucas ordered Deputy Jailer Grizzle to conduct strip searches of the four inmates who had attended the class.
According to the complaint, the search turned up a pink Mother’s Day card containing 19 Suboxone strips wrapped in clear plastic and tape.
The complaint alleges Hazlett knowingly introduced dangerous contraband into the detention center and knowingly and unlawfully distributed the Suboxone to inmates.
First-degree promoting contraband is generally a Class D felony under Kentucky law. Second-degree trafficking in a controlled substance is also a Class D felony for a first offense under the applicable Kentucky statute.
Greenup County Jailer Larry Pancake said the discovery resulted from the work of detention center employees.
“We have a zero-tolerance policy for anyone who compromises the safety of our facility,” Pancake said. “Thanks to the diligent work of Lt. Lucas, Chief Robert Senters and jail staff, we were able to quickly intercept those illicit substances and protect both our staff and the inmate population.”
Hazlett was immediately terminated from her position following her arrest.
Officials said the investigation began after the jail received information that prohibited substances were being brought into the facility and investigators determined Hazlett allegedly used her access as an instructor to bypass normal security screening.
All individuals are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.