A guard at the Delco jail smuggled marijuana and suboxone into the facility for an inmate, DA says
Damon Joyner, 43, worked with an inmate and his girlfriend to bring the drugs into the George W. Hill Correctional Facility, according to the affidavit of probable cause for his arrest.
A former guard at the George W. Hill Correctional Facility is now imprisoned in the facility he once patrolled, prosecutors said, after he was arrested for smuggling drugs into the Delaware County jail.
Damon Joyner, 43, was arrested last week and charged with possession with intent to deliver, conspiracy, and related offenses for helping others smuggle marijuana, suboxone, and other illegal substances into the county jail.
Joyner remained in custody Wednesday, in lieu of $100,000 bail. There was no indication he had hired an attorney.
Investigators discovered Joyner’s smuggling operation on Dec. 13, during a routine search as he reported for his shift at the jail, according to the affidavit of probable cause for his arrest.
During the search, other guards found that Joyner had hidden multiple plastic baggies in his waistband, authorities say. One of the baggies contained loose tobacco and Newport cigarettes, while the others held marijuana, suboxone strips, and Xanax pills.
Joyner admitted to detectives that he took contraband into the facility at least four times at the request of inmates including Anthony Pierre. Pierre, 29, is incarcerated at George W. Hill as he awaits trial on drug and gun offenses, according to court records.
While in prison, Pierre has been charged twice — in September and October — with possessing contraband. He now faces a third set of those charges, filed by prosecutors after Joyner’s arrest.
His attorney, Jeffrey Gold, did not return a request for comment.
During the investigation, authorities discovered recorded phone calls between Pierre and his girlfriend, Jessica Desimone, outlining the plans to bring the drugs into the facility, the affidavit said. On those calls, the document said, Pierre told Desimone what to purchase for him and set up meetings with Joyner, or friends of Joyner’s, to deliver the contraband to him.
Desimone, 24, was arrested last week and charged with possession with intent to deliver and conspiracy. Her attorney, Eugene Tinari, could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Guards and other staffers at George W. Hill have warned county officials about pervasive contraband issues there since the county took over control of the facility in April.
In a statement, Warden Laura K. Williams said Joyner’s arrest made the jail safer, and added that officials are still investigating how contraband makes its way into the facility.
“Though I wish that this operation was a ‘one and done’ case, I know that there is a pervasive virus of illegal activity that continues … [and] I am thankful for the partnerships of all of the agencies/persons that [contributed to the arrest of this defendant],” Williams said.
Three former guards were arrested last year and charged with bringing drugs into the facility on behalf of inmates, in schemes similar to what prosecutors allege in this case.
Contraband has led to at least one reported death in the facility: Fatima Musa fatally overdosed on heroin on Christmas Day 2019. She, along with five other female inmates, took the narcotic after one of them had her son sneak the drug to her during a holiday visit, according to investigators.