08/15/2007

Teen allegedly smuggles contraband

Police say she tried to sneak pills into jail

By VICTOR SKINNER

vskinner@record-eagle.com

TRAVERSE CITY — A Traverse City teen faces a five-year felony charge after she allegedly tried to smuggle drugs and other contraband to her boyfriend in the county jail.

Megan Lynn Strandell, 19, was released from the Grand Traverse County Jail on 10 percent of a $50,000 bond following her arraignment in 86th District Court Tuesday on one charge of furnishing contraband to a prisoner, court records show.

Sheriff's officials allege Strandell put three methadone pills, a cigarette and a lighter inside a plastic bag, then stashed the package between a trash receptacle and a jail building at the request of her incarcerated boyfriend, Joel Kirkbride.

"It was stuffed between some wood between the building and the (receptacle). An inmate reported it to the corrections staff and the corrections staff went and retrieved (the bag)” around 4 p.m. Monday, Undersheriff Nathan Alger said. "It had been planted outside an outdoor dormitory for low-security inmates that are assigned to work crews. This is a facility where inmates come in and out.”

Investigators identified Kirkbride and Strandell as suspects in the alleged smuggling attempt after listening to prisoners' recorded phone conversations at the jail, records show.

"The discussion between the two indicated, 'This is where I put it, this is how many pills there were and I also put a cigarette and a lighter with it,'” Alger said. "We matched the phone number to an address and we went to the address and spoke to her and her father. She basically acquiesced and said, 'I will do this so he would stop asking.'”

Strandell acknowledged the felony charge when contacted by telephone Tuesday, but declined further comment.

Kirkbride had been lodged in the low-security section of the jail since July 25 on a probation violation for using narcotics. He was assigned as an inmate worker to assist maintenance staff with garbage removal when the alleged drug drop occurred, officials said.

Kirkbride was transferred to maximum security and had little to say about the bust, Alger said.

"Once we Mirandized him, he said he wouldn't talk to us,” he said.

Charges against Kirkbride were pending Tuesday.

"He is going to be charged with conspiracy to deliver contraband to a prisoner,” said chief assistant county prosecutor Jim Pappas, adding the crime carries a potential five-year prison sentence.

On Tuesday, Kirkbride had 91 days left to serve for the probation violation.