Four accused of smuggling drugs into Harford jail

Four people have been indicted for allegedly trying to smuggle drugs into the Harford County Detention Center, according to court records. Charged are Brandi Lynn White, 33, of the 3300 block of Level Road in Churchville; Jerry Thompson, 64, of the100 block of Tim Tam Court in Havre de Grace; Nicole Louise Baker, 31, of Church Street in Elkton; and Melvin Saunders, 53, of Cold Spring Lane in Baltimore. According to court records, they were indicted by a grand jury in Harford County Circuit Court on Aug. 14 in a scheme to smuggle Suboxone, an opioidbased drug used by people detoxing from heroin, into the detention center on several occasions in 2017: Oct. 23, Nov. 9, Nov. 17, Nov. 28 and Nov. 30. Indictments are pending against two others allegedly involved in some or part of those incidents, according to Cristie Hopkins, director of media relations for the Harford County sheriff’s office, which oversees operation of the detention center. ple said they ate Empire Kosher brand chicken. The strain of salmonella that caused the outbreak was identified in samples of raw chicken collected from two facilities, including one that processed Empire Kosher chicken. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service determined there was a link between the Empire Kosher and the salmonella outbreak. “The Empire brand takes food safety and the health of our consumers very seriously,” Empire Kosher said in a statement. “The CDC is not advising that consumers avoid eating Empire brand chicken and no products have been recalled or withdrawn from the marketplace.”