Associated Press Published

Guard Reaches Misdemeanor Plea After Felony Drug Charges

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A correctional officer accused of bringing controlled substances onto the grounds of Salem Correctional Center has reached a misdemeanor plea deal due to an incomplete investigation.

The Exponent Telegram reports 45-year-old Philomena R. Liberty was sentenced to six months in prison for possession of dextroamphetamine without a valid current prescription, but the sentence was suspended and she was placed on six months of unsupervised probation.

She had faced a felony charge of transporting drugs into a correctional facility after authorities found her in possession of four drugs. Harrison County Assistant Prosecutor Susan Morris says the state never received the necessary information to put together a meaningful prosecution on the felony charge.

State Corrections Commissioner Jim Rubenstein says Liberty hasn’t been employed by the Division of Corrections for over a year.