Jun. 17—GRAND FORKS — A Grand Forks County Correctional Center officer has been arrested for allegedly smuggling contraband into the jail.
According to a report from Grand Forks County Sheriff Andy Schneider, the office received information that a jail employee was bringing contraband into the facility.
An investigation by the Grand Forks County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Criminal Investigation interviewed Juan Ortiz Lopez, who was arrested on suspicion of delivery of an electronic device to an inmate, a Class A felony. He was booked into the jail.
A search of jail cells turned up a cellphone inside an inmate’s mattress.
“The Sheriff’s Office has been focused on making the jail a safer place for inmates and correctional officers alike,” Schneider wrote.
He added that the jail is staffed by “honorable and respected corrections officers who show up to work and uphold the standard of professionalism they are held to every shift. Those that choose to break the law will be handled accordingly.”