PHOTO: Patience McGill, Correction Offers (left) now behind bars
The tide has turned against a female Correction officer at the Monrovia Central Prison, as she herself been put behind bars after she was allegedly discovered trafficking cocaine in interaction with an inmate, as Garmah Never Lomo reports.
The Liberia National Police in Monrovia on Tuesday December 17,2024, arrested, investigated and subsequently charged correction officer Patience Mcgill age 44 who allegedly inserted narcotic in her private part was jailed for the crime of illicit trafficking of drugs.
Earlier information gathered by this news outlet was the correction officer was found with the drug in her private part during usual search of people who entering the prison but police investigation failed to establish where the drug was found before being given to the inmate to sell.
According to the police charge sheet, on Monday December 16,2024, at about 11:00hours defendant Patience Mcgill was arrested by correction officer Vickie T. Watson at the Monrovia Central prison compound (South Beach) giving narcotic substance wrapped in fifty Liberian dollars to an inmate.
After seen her by officer Watson, defendant Mcgill was turned over to the office of the Anti-Narcotic unit/ organized crime of the Liberia National police.
For her part, defendant Mcgill said, while on duty at the Monrovia Central Prison, my boss lady Frostina J. Freeman sent me to call two inmates from in the shop to collect their soup from the kitchen.
“While at the kitchen, I give one of the inmates fifty Liberia dollars to buy soup and carry it to my pekin who is also an inmate and in that, process,” one of my workmates saw me and complained me to our boss lady(Frostina Freeman).
Following the complaint, our boss lady Freeman called the inmate and she found fifty Liberian dollars that I give to him and six grams of Cocaine . I was arrested and turned over to the police.
During police interrogation conducted with defendant Mcgill, she was informed of her constitutional rights which she waived and her statement was obtained voluntarily at which time she admitted giving the inmate fifty Liberia dollars but denied giving the inmate the narcotic substance (Cocaine).
According to the arresting officer Vickie T. Watson who is also a corrections officer she saw the suspect Patience Mcgill giving the inmate fifty Liberian dollars and a black plastic bag when she went to inform their boss lady who called the inmate and he was found with the fifty Liberian dollars and a black plastic bag that contained six gram of Cocaine.
The investigation established that defendant Patience Mcgill was seen giving the narcotic substance to the inmate in the prison facility.
That the street or black market value of the entire dangerous drugs and controlled substances stands at thirty-five thousand and six hundred Liberian dollars (L$35,600).
That the said drug test at the Monrovia Central prison and was proven to be a dangerous narcotic substance (Cocaine).
In view of the above, the investigation has resolved to charge defendant Patience Mcgill with the commission of the crime illicit trafficking which is in violation of Chapter 14 section 14.93 of the New Drugs Law of the Republic of Liberia pending trial by a court of competent jurisdiction.