NASHVILLE (AP) — A woman accused of smuggling drugs into a Tennessee prison has been charged with murder in the overdose death of an inmate, officials said on Tuesday.
Rachal Dollard is accused of passing drugs to inmate Joshua Brown in February during visitation at the Turney Center Industrial Complex, the Tennessee Department of Correction said in a statement. Brown swallowed a balloon pellet containing half an ounce of methamphetamine and later died at a local hospital, the statement said.
Dollard was arrested over the weekend and is being held at the Hickman County jail on charges of second-degree murder and introduction of contraband into a penal facility, the agency said.
"This incident points to the real dangers of introducing contraband into prisons and the consequences that follow," said David Imhof, director of the agency's Office of Investigations and Conduct.
Brown was serving an 11-year sentence on drug related charges.
It wasn't immediately clear whether Dollard had an attorney.