A teacher in Genesee County, Michigan, allegedly smuggled drugs and other items to the county jail’s inmates she was supposed to be helping.
The suspect is identified as 54-year-old Meredith Leyrer, Fox 2 Detroit reported Friday, noting the case surrounds the instructor who used to work at Mount Morris High School.
The school took part in the Inmate Growth Naturally and Intentionally Through Education (IGNITE) program which helps inmates continue their education inside the jail facility.
“Eliminating generational incarceration through education, by restoring value, hope, and purpose to our inmate population,” Genesee County Sheriff Christopher Swanson is quoted as saying of the program.
An image shows the suspect sitting at a table with two inmates, one of whom has the word “IGNITE” printed on the back of his jail clothes:
Michigan teacher arrested for smuggling fentanyl, money, cell for phone sex into jail: sheriff https://t.co/vNSC7WyKsW pic.twitter.com/ZU2U7V5lHW
— New York Post (@nypost) July 29, 2023
Leyrer apparently had complete access to the students and began the alleged scheme in December, according to Swanson.
In a video posted to social media Thursday, Sheriff Swanson talked about the case:
Phone sex, smuggled fentanyl, over $600 in cash going to inmates. Three-hundred and fifty-seven calls between inmates and the teacher. I could think of a thousand reasons why I shouldn’t be doing a press release, a notification to the public about something that has been taken advantage of called IGNITE that was infiltrated and attacked by one of our own.
A TEACHER!!! arrested for smuggling drugs and cell phones to inmates. Sheriff Christopher R. Swanson provides details on the latest GHOST case, where IGNITE was attacked from within. The investigation revealed inmate payoffs, a drug mule, and cell phones smuggled into the jail. A TEACHER was behind this 7-month conspiracy. #ProtectServeUnify #gcsomichigan #Ignite
Posted by Genesee County Sheriff's Office on Thursday, July 27, 2023
The suspect is accused of placing over $600 into accounts belonging to inmates identified as Deandre Arrington, Marquise Coleman, and Todd Cardoza.
She also allegedly smuggled drugs to students, the Fox report detailed.
“She brought in six cans of marijuana wax, authorities say, along with fentanyl pills,” the article said, noting surveillance footage caught the moment Leyrer allegedly gave one of the inmates fentanyl pills that were tucked inside an envelope.
The clip shows Leyrer sitting across from two inmates at a table. Moments into the video, she hands one of the men a black folder that contained 135 fentanyl pills:
In addition, a cellphone she allegedly smuggled into the jail facility was used for phone sex with the inmates.
Following her arrest on Monday, Leyrer claimed the inmates groomed her to perform such actions. Meanwhile, the Fox report said the woman has been “separated” from the high school.
The charges against her in the case include manufacturing and delivering narcotics, bringing contraband into a correctional facility, and bringing a phone into a correctional facility. Her bond was set at $20,000.
The inmates involved are now in restrictive housing. Although they were suspended from IGNITE University, they may still access the IGNITE program.
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