Employee at Meck. Co jail arrested for giving cell phone to inmate

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - An employee with the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) was arrested for providing a cell phone to an inmate at the jail.

The detention center announced that 26-year-old Samara Black, a Discharge Planner with MCSO’s resident healthcare service provider, was fired on Aug. 8 after her arrest. She began working with the MCSO on June 19, 2020.

MCSO began investigating after receiving information that Black was smuggling contraband into the detention center. State law prohibits inmates from having cell phones and it is a Class H felony for a person to provide a cell phone or any other communications device to someone in custody in a local confinement facility.

“This type of illegal activity is not tolerated by any persons working inside the detention facility and such actions only compromise the safety of the many hard-working detention professionals who already face risks by the sheer nature of the profession,” MCSO sheriff Garry McFadden said. “I applaud the efforts of MCSO staff and the cooperation of residents during this investigation.”