The routine arrest Monday night of a Greenwood man accused of public drunkenness and open container violations accidentally uncovered a smuggling operation inside the Leflore County Jail, Greenwood Police Chief Henry Purnell says.
Etrell Lee, 20, 1108 Leflore Ave., was taken to the Leflore County Jail after a quarter-pound of marijuana and six “Sim” cards — used in cellular phones — were found inside his tennis shoes, the chief said.
The contraband hadn’t just been placed inside the shoes. Rather, the soles of the shoes had been cut open, the contraband placed inside and the soles reglued, Purnell said.
Now, instead of facing misdemeanor charges on public drunkenness and having an open container, Lee is facing felony charges of bringing contraband into a jail facility.
If convicted of the contraband charge, Lee could receive a maximum of 15 years in prison and/or a fine of $25,000.
Purnell said the marijuana had a street value of more than $3,000. The Sim cards in a prison, where cell phones are prohibited, sell from between $200 and $500, the chief said.
Lee was arrested about 8:20 p.m. Monday at the intersection of Howard Street and Claiborne Avenue.
This is the second time in a month that contraband was discovered on a person charged with minor offenses, Purnell said.
The chief said his officers in the future will examine more thoroughly the shoes of suspects in custody. “We’ve been put on notice here that they do a good search of their shoes,” he said.
Purnell advised other law enforcement agencies to be on the lookout for similar cases of altered shoes.
• Contact Bob Darden at bdarden@gwcommonwealth.com.
