Drug sweep turns up pain meds

Published 6:23 pm Monday, July 14, 2014

Brandy Kinnion Terri Swain

Brandy Kinnion
Terri Swain

 

Two women were handed more charges after a search turned up prescription pain pills at the Beaufort County Detention Center.

Brandy Nicole Kinion, 30, of West Barr Road in Chocowinity, and Terri Swain, 35, of Ferris Lane in Roper, both inmates at the jail over the weekend, were each charged with possession of a controlled substance after a random cell sweep in the women’s cell area revealed 56 pills in a sock, according to a press release from the sheriff’s office. Further investigation revealed the pills had been hidden in a body cavity in order to be smuggled into the jail, the release said.

It’s not the first time such an incident has occurred, according to Maj. Kenneth Watson, spokesman for the sheriff’s office.

“We get report of it from time to time. It’s hard to say it happens every day or every week, but we do get reports,” Watson said.

Kinion was brought into the detention center Friday night on a probation violation. Swain had been incarcerated since mid-June for a failure to appear charge. Watson said the drugs were discovered Saturday during the sweep, a common occurrence at the jail.

“As for block shakedowns and searches — those are done routinely as part of the policies and procedures in our detention center,” Watson said.

While strip searches of incoming inmates are routine at the jail, Watson said unless there is probable cause, body cavity searches are not conducted on incoming inmates.

Both Kinion and Swain were charged with possession of a controlled substance in a local confinement facility and possession of drug paraphernalia. Kinion was also charged with furnishing a controlled substance to an inmate. Each were held on an additional $10,000 secured bond.

Kinion has several past drug charges including a 2013 Pitt County grand jury indictment for felony possession of cocaine.