(Racine County Sheriff’s Office)
RACINE COUNTY, Wis. — A 29-year-old Green Bay-area woman is facing multiple criminal charges after authorities say she was caught on her way to Racine Correctional Institution with drugs, marijuana vape cartridges and an electronic weapon while her 3-year-old son was in the vehicle. Ja Meallia Brown, 29, and Racine Correctional Institution inmate Taviaun Love, 25, had already come under investigation after prison staff notified the Racine County Metro Drug Unit on Sept. 24 that the two were suspected of exchanging narcotics during prison visits. Investigators then reviewed recorded telephone calls and developed additional information that Brown allegedly planned to bring more narcotics into the prison during another visit with Love scheduled for Sept. 29.
On Sept. 29, Metro Drug Unit agents and Racine County Sheriff’s deputies spotted Brown driving her known vehicle toward the prison and conducted a traffic stop. Authorities said Brown, who had no connection to the Racine area, was driving with her 3-year-old son inside the vehicle. A sheriff’s K9 conducted an open-air sniff around the vehicle and alerted to the presence of narcotics, prompting investigators to search the vehicle. Authorities reported finding Schedule IV drugs, marijuana vape cartridges, an electronic conducted weapon and several plastic baggies with the corners removed.
The investigation continued after Brown was taken into custody. When she was transported to the Racine County Jail, authorities said a bag containing suspected cocaine was also discovered on her person. Metro Drug Unit agents contacted Child Protective Services, and Brown’s 3-year-old son was ultimately reunited with his grandmother.
Brown was charged in Racine County Circuit Court case 26CF1207 with second-or-subsequent possession of cocaine, second-or-subsequent possession of THC, possession of an electric weapon, possession of a controlled substance and possession of an illegally obtained prescription. Investigators also forwarded charging recommendations against Love to the Racine County District Attorney’s Office, although the sheriff’s office did not specify in its release what charges were recommended against him.
Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling praised the Metro Drug Unit and the Wisconsin Department of Corrections for stopping the alleged narcotics before they entered the prison. Schmaling said the suspects allegedly attempted to conceal what they were doing by using code words while discussing the smuggling of narcotics, but investigators recognized what was being discussed and intercepted the drugs before they could reach the inmate population.
“Narcotics have no place inside our correctional institutions, and we will continue to aggressively investigate anyone who attempts to introduce illegal drugs into a facility,” Schmaling said. He credited investigators with preventing the suspected narcotics from reaching other inmates and concluded his statement by saying, “Job well done!”
