Corrections officer dies after touching envelope of drugs mailed to prison; 3 charged

ATWATER, Calif. (Gray News) – Three people are facing charges following the death of a correctional officer at a high-security federal prison in California after he handled an envelope with illegal drugs in it.

According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office – Eastern District of California, the three defendants were arrested Tuesday.

Those charged include Jamar Jones, 35, an inmate at U.S. Penitentiary in Atwater; Stephanie Ferreira, 35, of Evansville, Indiana; and Jermen Rudd III, 37, of Wentzville, Missouri.

Court documents show that between July 15 and Aug. 9, the three conspired to get narcotics into the prison for Jones to sell to other inmates.

Officials said Rudd mailed a letter to Jones that was laced with narcotics and fraudulently labeled as legal mail.

On Aug. 9, a correctional officer at the prison opened the letter, which had five pieces of “waxy” paper inside, and “minutes later began to feel ill,” officials said.

The officer was rushed to a hospital, where he died.

A second officer also became sick after handling the letter, but he recovered.

The letter tested positive for amphetamines, fentanyl and “spice,” or synthetic cannabinoids, among other substances.

An autopsy found the officer’s cause of death to be “undetermined,” pending toxicology reports. Officials said no obvious causes of death were found aside from coming into contact with the narcotics.

The officer’s name was not released.

Following an investigation from multiple agencies, Jones, Ferreria and Rudd were arrested and charged Tuesday.

According to the criminal complaint, Jones is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and distribution of a controlled substance with prior felony drug conviction and one count of an inmate obtaining or attempting to obtain narcotic drugs.

Ferreria and Rudd are both charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and distribution of a controlled substance and one count of providing or attempting to provide inmate with narcotic drugs.

If convicted, all three defendants face decades in prison.