WALLA WALLA—Three separate visitors, all women, to the Washington State Penitentiary (WSP) in Walla Walla were arrested Monday, March 17, for attempting to introduce contraband (drugs) into the prison.
Maria Linda Baltazar, 32, of Prosser, Laura Spracklin, 36, of Olympia, and McKenzi Dawn Maple, 32, of Cheney, now face a Class B felony each, which if convicted, is up to 10 years in prison and/or a fine of $20,000.
Each arrived at the prison with drugs they likely intended to deliver; two of the suspects admitted to prior deliveries.
Monday’s three separate arrests for contraband might seem shocking, but it’s all in a day’s work for Washington State Department of Corrections Intelligence & Investigative Units.
“Do not bring drugs or guns into prisons,” said Rod Coll, an investigator within the state Department of Corrections’ (DOC) Intelligence and Investigations Unit. “We see it more than we would like to, and we catch it all the time. Now, these three individuals have felony charges of their own to deal with.”
Halting the flow of dangerous drugs is a top priority for the department. Synthetic opioids can now take many forms, making interception much more difficult.
“When drugs make it into prisons, it undermines our core function to rehabilitate,” said DOC Secretary Tim Lang. “This is a daily issue. It’s a profound threat. So, we’re very focused on keeping drugs out.”
According to a DOC spokesman, it is estimated that a third of the prison population suffers from opioid use disorder—more than a quarter of the population has been formally diagnosed. Statewide there were over 300 documented deployments of NARCAN last year.
Physical mail is scanned for digital delivery to incarcerated individuals because mail is routinely found to be infused with opioids and cannabinoids. Balloons and drones have been intercepted flying over prison perimeters. Visitors are individually screened, and the department is conducting a body scanner pilot program to perform more frequent and less personally invasive screenings. Trained fentanyl-sniffing dogs have also proven effective.
“I say this all the time to visitors that we offer visitation for you to spend time with your loved ones and keep up that bond. We’re not here to scare you,” said Coll. “But we do get bad actors, and we perform all this security to maintain a safe environment.” On Sunday, an individual was arrested in another attempt to deliver drugs within WSP. They were seen on surveillance dropping a bindle of drugs on the floor, using a crawling infant as cover.
Source: Washington State Department of Corrections
Author: Mario Lotmore
