3 charged in Hamilton jail drug investigation

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Two corrections officers at the Hamilton County Jail, and the cousin of another, have been arrested and two more are under investigation after detectives discovered several officers involved in off-duty drug use, Hamilton County Sheriff's officials say.

This week, the Hamilton County grand jury indicted Corrections Officer Sandra Brown on a charge of possession of marijuana in the Hamilton County case, sheriff's spokeswoman Janice Atkinson said.

Corrections Officer Phillip Friar, of Bradley County, was arrested by the Bradley County Sheriff's office and charged with possession of marijuana, Atkinson said.

David Brian Wright, the relative of another corrections officer, also was indicted and arrested on a charge of marijuana possession, she said.

That corrections officer and one more are on leave with pay while the internal affairs department investigates.

Brown and Friar are on leave without pay pending the outcome of both the criminal and internal affairs investigations, Atkinson said.