A deputy from Cook County found herself before a judge today, facing charges after an internal investigation. The Sheriff’s Office uncovered evidence suggesting that Shadonna Jones, a 54-year-old Cook County Corrections Deputy of Lynwood, had drug-soaked paper intended for smuggling into the Cook County Jail, according to an announcement from Sheriff Thomas J. Dart.
The investigation came to a head on July 25, when a search warrant led to the discovery of an envelope containing 48 sheets of suspect paper in Jones' home. The sheets were stained and gritty, raising red flags for investigators. Alongside the paper, they found a letter, wherein an in-custody individual detailed selling "paper" for $10,000 each and promised Jones $2,500 per delivered package. Upon being Mirandaized, Jones admitted to receiving $1,000 from the family of someone inside the jail to take possession of the papers, but she denied plans to deliver them, the Cook County Sheriff's Office reported.
As of Thursday, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office slapped Jones with a felony charge: one count of Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Deliver. She was arrested and released pending trial after her court appearance this morning at the Markham Courthouse. Her next court date is set for September 19, 9:30 a.m. at the same courthouse, as per the Cook County Sheriff's Office.
