CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A corrections officer at the South Central Regional Jail was arrested on charges of buying drugs to take into the lockup.
John Roach II, of Charleston, was arrested April 11. According to a criminal complaint, he purchased four ounces of methamphetamine from an undercover officer with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The buy was made in the parking lot of the Walmart on Mountaineer Boulevard. The court documents further claim he was paid to deliver the substance inside the nearby South Central Regional Jail where he worked.
Roach was immediately taken into custody after taking possession of the drugs and investigators said the material never made it into the jail.
He faces a charge of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance.
The state Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety confirmed Roach was immediately suspended without pay after his arrest. His status as a corrections officer is under further review pending the outcome of the charges.
Lawrence Messina, the department’s director of communications, said the Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation is cooperating in the investigation.
“The Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation maintains a zero-tolerance stance regarding the threat posed by drugs and other contraband to its facilities,” he said.