Phoenix (3TV/CBS 5) – After a Maricopa County jail officer was arrested on suspicion of trying to smuggle drugs into a Phoenix prison, a bigger problem came to light: an increase in drug-related deaths at local prisons.

Lisa Espinoza, a mother of five, was furious when her son Larry Ogle Jr., 31, died on January 8 in a cell at the Maricopa County Jail. mouth. “

Espinoza said she spoke with her son two days before he died and said she was ready to turn her life around. “He was happy, ready to go home, and in his heart he was going home,” she said. County Sheriff Paul Penzone said drug-related deaths in prisons have increased every five years. “In 2022, 172 inmates were brought to correctional health services for drug-related incidents. Of the incarcerated deaths, 17 were due to drug overdoses. said Penzone.

Espinoza said the drug problem in prisons needed to change, and Penzone agreed. “It is unacceptable for people to die under our supervision in a setting where prisoners are in custody,” he said. Penzone announced Wednesday that it plans to purchase scanning machines to detect drugs that could enter prisons. The office is already trying to deal with the drug problem.

Penzone said he seized drugs that were mailed to inmates, and all police officers are trained to administer Narcan in the event of a drug-related incident, so that other family members could have done the same as Larry. He doesn’t suffer pain. “I miss him. I want to hug him. I want to take him home.”

Starting at 9am on Saturday, January 14th, there will be a car wash at the Aztec Pawn Shop on Central Avenue and Baseline Road in the square where KFC is located. You can also use this to donate to your family. GofundMe.

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