Upon searching the device, detectives learned the detention officer and the inmate had communicated using the phone, and had a personal relationship.
LINCOLN COUNTY, N.C. — A detention employee with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office has lost her job and been charged after an inmate was found with a cell phone.
Detention officer Jocelyn Marie Santiago, 30, is accused of providing the inmate with the cell phone, which is considered a controlled substance.
On Sept. 6, detention officers found 28-year-old Christopher Roy Bell of Iron Station with a phone he hid in his jail cell. During the investigation, detectives determined Santiago provided him with the phone.
Upon searching the device, detectives learned Santiago and Bell had communicated using the phone, and had a personal relationship. Detectives interviewed both individuals and both admitted to their involvement with one another, according to the sheriff’s office.
Santiago has been charged with furnishing a controlled substance to an inmate. She was placed under a $2,500 unsecured bond.Â
Bell is charged with possession of a mobile phone in a detention facility, and is being held under a $25,000 secured bond for charges unrelated to this case, the sheriff’s office said.
Santiago no longer works with the LCSO Detention Center.
