A 33-year-old correctional officer with the Essex County Sheriff’s Department was arraigned Thursday after she was arrested for allegedly delivering illegal drugs and a cellphone to a prisoner at Middleton Jail and House of Correction.
Christal Dunston of Lynn was charged with conspiracy to violate drug law, two counts of delivering drugs/articles to a prisoner and possessing drugs/articles with intent to deliver to a prisoner, according to Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker. She was arraigned in Salem District Court before Judge Randy Chapman.
Sheriff Kevin F. Coppinger was the first to announce the arrest.
“There is absolutely no place in this Department for anyone who would jeopardize the safety of their fellow officers and the people in our custody by bringing illegal drugs into a secure facility,” Coppinger said. “This is a profound betrayal of the badge, the public trust and every correctional officer who comes to work each day and does this difficult job with honesty and integrity.”
A Middleton House of Correction investigation alleges Dunston conspired to deliver the drug known as “K2” inside the jail. Assistant District Attorney Jessica Strasnick requested, and Judge Chapman agreed, bail would be set at $10,000. Strasnick told the court that the state expects to seek a grand jury indictment in the case.