A Houston defense attorney has been arrested for allegedly attempting to smuggle drugs into a jail, placing him on the opposite side of the law. Hunter Simmons, who has been practicing law for 12 years, faces charges of engaging in organized criminal activity and possession of a prohibited substance in a correctional facility, according to a Click2Houston report.
The Harris County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) authorities began investigating the smuggling operation after stumbling upon it during an unrelated human trafficking case. Simmons, 39, along with two alleged accomplices, Tanisha Butler and Joshua Palmer, was accused of being part of a scheme to deliver synthetic marijuana laced papers to an inmate within the Harris County Detention Center. As reported by FOX26 Houston, evidence pointed to Simmons as a key player in this operation.
Butler, aged 40, who is also a program director for an Texas-based non-profit that focuses on children’s nutrition, and 22-year-old Joshua Jovan Piper, accused of transporting the drugs from a distributor to Simmons, have also been charged in connection to the case. They, along with Simmons, could be looking at two to 20 years in prison if convicted of the charges against them. Both Simmons and Butler appeared in court yesterday with bails set at $75,000, while Piper’s was set at $100,000.
During the course of the investigation, HCSO officials were able to tie Simmons to the drug-laced sheets of paper following their recovery last week. Additional charges could be impending as the investigation by the sheriff's office moves forward. "The investigation is ongoing and additional charges are possible," according to FOX26 Houston.
The HCSO has not released further details about the extent of the operation or whether more individuals are involved.
