Wendy Nelson
A former Yadkin County detention officer pleaded guilty to felony drug charges on March 16 in Yadkin District Court. Wendy Kaye Nelson, age 44, of Boonville, pleaded to felony charges of providing a mobile phone to an inmate, possession with intent to manufacture, sell, and deliver schedule I and conspiracy to sell, deliver schedule I. She was sentenced to 30 days in jail and six to 17 months of supervised probation.
Nelson was first charged in May of 2021 with one felony count possession with intent to manufacture/sell/deliver a schedule I controlled substance (synthetic cannabinoid), one felony count possession controlled substance in prison/jail premises, five felony counts conspiracy sell/deliver schedule I controlled substance, one felony count sex act with an inmate by a government/private institution employee, one felony count providing a mobile phone to an inmate, one felony count manufacture/sell/deliver control substance within 1000 feet of a school.
Ten other people faced related charges after authorities discovered that narcotics were being smuggled into the Yadkin County Jail. According to the Yadkin County Sheriff’s Office, items containing illegal narcotics were being mailed through the United States Postal Service into the Yadkin County Detention Center.
At the time of the arrests, Yadkin County Sheriff Ricky Oliver said he considered this a very serious situation and that there was a no tolerance policy for such actions by detention staff.
“It’s not just about keeping the drugs out of the facility, it’s also about the security of the facility and the safety of the officers that work there,” Oliver said. “One of the first things that I tell employees of the Sheriff’s Office is that we are not above the law. The Yadkin County Sheriff’s Office has no tolerance for those who violate policy, procedure and the law.”
Nelson was serving as a nighttime detention officer at the time. At the time authorities alleged that Nelson was assisting inmates in the delivery of contraband and narcotics hidden in property which was delivered and brought into the Detention Center.
It was discovered that Nelson and an inmate had developed an inappropriate personal relationship and she was allowing the inmate to use a cellphone while incarcerated.
“It’s very unfortunate when a detention officer decides to violate their policies and procedures and go against the training that they’ve had,” Oliver said following Nelson’s arrest. “One of the main things they’re taught in detention training is that they do not develop relationships with inmates.”
Oliver added that the investigation into the drug smuggling began with suspicion of items being mailed to inmates. As a result, a new procedure has now been implemented where inmates will no longer receive their physical correspondence but will view their mail in a kiosk where it has been scanned in for them to view. The Yadkin County Sheriff’s Office now also uses a body scanner to search for any contraband possibly attempted to be smuggled into the facility.