BATAVIA, Ohio — Four people are facing criminal charges in Clermont County after officials accused them of plotting to smuggle drugs to jail inmates through the Clermont County Animal Shelter.
The Clermont County Sheriff’s Office said on Dec. 23 at around 3:30 p.m., the investigative unit was contacted by corrections staff at the Clermont County Jail about inmates "possibly being impaired.”
Detectives say they spoke to jail staff who oversaw a group of inmates assigned to work off-site at the Clermont County Animal Shelter. They then launched an investigation and interviewed multiple inmates on that work site.
Through the investigation, detectives say they learned that Vanessa Tudor and Samantha Cartwright, both inmates at the jail, were speaking to family members and allegedly plotted to have drugs delivered to the animal shelter for them to retrieve while on their work assignment on Dec. 17.
The sheriff’s office announced Friday a grand jury returned indictments for Cartwright, Tudor, Mark Wise and Patricia Weaver. They were charged with the following:
- Samantha Cartwright, 45, of Franklin Township —
- Two counts of conspiracy
- One count of illegal conveyance of drugs of abuse onto grounds of a government facility
- Vanessa Tudor, 47, of Higginsport —
- Two counts of conspiracy
- One count of illegal conveyance of drugs of abuse onto grounds of a government facility
- One count of aggravated possession of drugs
- Mark Wise, 52, of Franklin Township —
- Two counts of conspiracy
- One count of illegal conveyance of drugs of abuse onto grounds of a government facility
- One count of aggravated trafficking in drugs
- One count of aggravated possession of drugs
- Patricia Weaver, 68, of Higginsport —
- Two counts of conspiracy
- One count of illegal conveyance of drugs of abuse onto grounds of a government facility
Cartwright and Tudor were already sentenced on unrelated charges and remain in the Clermont County Jail, now with Wise and Weaver.
Clermont County Commissioner David Painter told WCPO they were working on a cleaning detail that the shelter depends on to stay afloat.
"We have 40 people that are associated with this program that work all outside ... supervised trustee program," Painter said. "That not only includes our shelter, but it also includes washing cars for our sheriff's office, it includes grounds ... litter pick-up throughout Clermont County and other sundry tasks that can be performed."
Officials told us they have confidence in the sheriff and will continue this program.
“Like I said, Sheriff Leahy and Chief Stratton are very well versed in how to ensure that our jail is a safe place and that those kinds of things are eliminated and this is just another case right here, you can see their effectiveness is very, very good," said Painter.
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