Woman tries to give inmate drugs

An Illinois woman was arrested last weekend for trying to pass drugs to an inmate at a state prison in Schuylkill County.

State police at Schuylkill Haven said Jennifer Ann Mitchell, 41, was at the state correctional institution at Frackville on Sunday visiting inmate John Vercusky. Troopers said a corrections officer observed Mitchell attempting to spit balloons from her mouth into a bottle that she was drinking from. Vercusky was then observed grabbing the bottle.

Vercusky was confronted by officers and admitted that inside the balloons was marijuana. Seven balloons were confiscated from the bottle and six from Mitchell's person.

She was placed under arrest for drug possession and related counts and arraigned before on-call District Judge Stephen Bayer of Tamaqua. She was committed to the county prison in Pottsville after failing to post 10 percent of $25,000 bail.