2nd Kane County jail shakedown after heroin bags found
Authorities say they held a second shakedown of prisoner pods at the Kane County jail after 18 small bags of suspected heroin were smuggled in within a 10-day span.
Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain said the first search was on Jan. 12, when two small bags of heroin were discovered on a 25-year-old male inmate from Elgin.
Jose R. Charles, of the 600 block of Forest Avenue, who was facing drug charges from July 2018, now faces additional charges. He was in court briefly Thursday and is next due before a judge on March 7.
On Monday, a guard discovered a female inmate had nine small bags containing suspected heroin and fentanyl residue while she was housed in the general population since Jan. 18, prompting a shakedown of several inmate pods, Hain said.
Tuesday's shakedown covered three housing units and 159 inmates; this time, a second female inmate was found to have seven small bags containing suspected heroin residue. The substances seized this week have been sent for additional lab testing before charges can be filed.
Hain said his office is reviewing policy and procedures and he is researching a possible body scanner for a nonintrusive exam of all jail visitors and for new inmates.
Hain said inmates have signed up for various diversion program classes, such as OSHA/forklift certification, small business startup, CDL training, English as a second language, and professional painting. Hain also is working with the jail's food service to provide a better rotation of meals.
"I will continue to invest in our jail living conditions, safety of our officers and a new life pathway for our inmate population in an effort to maintain an efficient and secure facility with an unrelenting focus on driving down recidivism," he said in a news release.