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Angela D. Ashley, 43 of Elizabethton and currently an inmate at the Washington County Detention Center (WCDC), was charged today with Attempted Introduction of Contraband into a Penal Facility.

According to Sheriff Keith Sexton, a detention officer was supervising a female inmate work crew on May 10, 2022, as they were conducting cleanup efforts inside the facility.

The detention officer discovered a small bag containing what appeared to be suboxone in a public restroom that the inmates were about to clean. The officer immediately reported the findings and the Criminal Investigations Division began an investigation.

After discovering recorded phone calls and text messages from inside the Washington County Detention Center, Investigators obtained an arrest warrant on Ashley.

She was one of the female trustees working at the time the narcotics were located. Evidence was discovered that Ashley had orchestrated the package being dropped off by an outside source, and she planned to collect it while cleaning.

Ashley was immediately removed from trustee status and charged with Attempted Introduction of Contraband into a Penal Facility. Her bond was set at $5,000 and appeared in court on Wednesday.

Investigators are still seeking information on who may have left the narcotics at the facility, anyone that may have information is asked to contact the Washington County Criminal Investigations Division at 423-788-1414.