Corrections officer accused of bringing narcotics into county detention center

ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. — A corrections officer in a northeastern Tennessee county is accused of bringing contraband, including illegal narcotics, into a detention center, authorities said.

According to the Carter County Sheriff’s Office, Leonard Stratton II, 32, of Elizabethton, was arrested on Sunday and charged with the introduction of contraband into a penal facility and official misconduct, WJHL-TV reported.

Stratton was a corrections officer at the Carter County Detention Center. He was terminated from his job after his arrest, according to the Elizabethton Star.

“Investigators had been working this case after information had been received that drugs and other contraband were entering into the facility,” Sheriff Mike Fraley said in a statement. “Throughout the investigation, it was revealed that an employee of our agency was involved, and it was narrowed to a single individual that was involved in this illegal activity.”

According to the sheriff’s office, Stratton attempted to bring in illegal narcotics and tobacco products into the detention center early Sunday to distribute to inmates, WCYB-TV reported.

He was stopped by Capt. Sean Johnson and Investigator Larry Vaughn, who had been conducting the investigation, the Star reported.

As of Monday, Stratton was being held in the detention center, according to the newspaper. His bail was set at $10,000.

“The investigation into this incident is ongoing at this time and additional charges are pending,” Fraley said in a statement.

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