Veteran El Paso detention officer arrested for bringing drugs to inmate at jail annex

A high-ranking leader with the El Paso County Sheriff's Office resigned as a detention supervisor after he was arrested on suspicion of bringing illegal drugs into the jail annex and giving them to an inmate, authorities said.

Lance Brown, 57, of El Paso, was arrested July 30 on suspicion of engaging in organized criminal activity, El Paso County Sheriff's Office officials said.

“The illegal acts of this high-ranking Sheriff’s Office employee are reprehensible and placed the health of inmates in jeopardy," El Paso County Sheriff Richard Wiles said in a statement. "Criminal acts will not be tolerated and those responsible will be held accountable.”

Brown had worked at the Sheriff's Office for 35 years and was serving as a detention lieutenant at the El Paso County Jail Annex in far East El Paso. He resigned from his position after his arrest, officials said.

Inmate distributing synthetic cannabis leads to arrest

Deputies received information earlier this month that an inmate was receiving illegal drugs from outside of the jail annex, officials said. The inmate, whose name has not been released, was distributing the drugs to other inmates.

An investigation allegedly revealed Brown was bringing the drugs into the jail annex and giving them to the inmate, officials said. The illegal drugs were identified as synthetic cannabis.

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Brown was arrested on suspicion of engaging in organized criminal activity. He was booked into the El Paso County Jail on a $10,000 bond, jail records show. He was released from jail the same day after posting bail, jail logs show.

No further information has been released.

Aaron Martinez may be reached at amartinez1@elpasotimes.com or on Twitter @AMartinezEPT.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso detention officer arrested for giving illegal drugs to inmate