A jail nurse is out of a job in Georgia after officials there accused her of smuggling drugs into the facility for an inmate she was allegedly romantically involved with.
Naomi Anthony, 34, is now a former nurse contractor following her arrest on Wednesday, January 14, for sneaking marijuana into the Fulton County Jail, where she had been working when she met inmate Antoine McCray, an arrest affidavit shared with Us Weekly contends.
Anthony was taken into custody as she was arriving for her work shift, according to the affidavit, which alleges suspicion fell on the nurse when one of her colleagues found a note that read: “Bring in weed, food put in trash for inmate, sexing in nurse station, McCray Antoine Feti BK# 2407249, Nurse Anthony, pays her $1300 through Cash App.”
The note seemingly referred to an inappropriate relationship Anthony had with inmate McCray, the affidavit alleges, noting investigators uncovered a number of Cash App transactions involving the nurse’s account but did not provide a detailed list on their amounts.
Detectives started to review surveillance footage from recent weeks and found that cameras had allegedly caught Anthony and another inmate meeting at the nurses’ station. The inmate is next seen walking out of the station with some kind of container in his hands.
He was later filmed sliding that container under a door to another inmate, it is alleged in the affidavit.
Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat told WSB-TV Anthony also smuggled pot and cigarettes into the jail, as well as food she’d purchased from a deli. “She had gone out and purchased herself and our inmate matching rings,” Labat told the station, noting it was unclear if the nurse wanted to marry the inmate.
Anthony allegedly snuck the items into the jail by hiding them in her vagina, it is alleged in the affidavit.
Jail administrators immediately fired Anthony from her position as a contracted nurse after her arrest. The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office now plans to update the X-ray detection machines at all jail entrances with new technology that could have caught Anthony in the act.
She has been charged with obtaining, procuring, or giving an inmate tobacco products without authorization, which is a felony.
When she was confronted with the allegations, Anthony allegedly denied everything. Eventually, though, she admitted to the relationship with McCray, which she said had started in October.
NaphCare, the company that the jail contracts for its nurses, said that Anthony was terminated on Thursday, January 15.
“NaphCare is aware of the investigation and is cooperating with our partner, the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office. As a healthcare provider in correctional institutions, NaphCare strictly forbids patient fraternizing and contraband. We have a zero-tolerance policy for employees introducing contraband into a facility and have taken appropriate actions in response.”
Anthony remains in custody but has not entered a plea to the charge she faces.
Meanwhile, the investigation continues, according to police. Detectives want to rule out the possibility others at the jail were part of the smuggling operation.
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