ROCKLAND, Maine — An inmate at the Knox County Jail is facing more jail time after police said drugs were found in his cell.
Harley Winchenbach, 21, of Cushing was charged Tuesday with trafficking in prison contraband, unlawful possession of drugs and violating a condition of release.
An informant at the jail notified authorities that Winchenbach had Suboxone on him that he had hidden in a sock when he was brought to jail, according to an affidavit filed in Rockland District Court by the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.
When Winchenbach’s cell was searched, officials found a small strip of Suboxone stuck to the back of a stamp hidden in a book in his cell.
Winchenbach said he had a prescription for Suboxone, which is used to treat opiate addicts, but that the jail would not allow that drug to be administered in the facility.
Sheriff Donna Dennison said Thursday that any medication first has to be approved by medical staff before it will be administered. She said a decision on whether to allow inmates to be administered a prescription drug also depends on how long they will be held.
“We have to be careful due to not knowing what they have taken before coming in. Inmates don’t always tell the truth. Addicts who are here for some time will detox and go out clean,” Dennison said. “It is always an issue with someone trying to smuggle in drugs. They come up with some very unique ways to get it in. If they don’t want to do the time, they should not do the crime and stay out.”
Winchenbach was at the jail on a probation violation from a case in Massachusetts. He had been released on probation earlier this year after being convicted last year and serving time for conspiracy to violate drug laws and conspiracy to violate firearms laws, according to MDEA supervisor James Pease. In that case, Winchenbach reportedly traded guns that had been stolen in local burglaries for drugs from gangs in New Bedford, Massachusetts.