A woman who kissed an inmate while visiting Tennessee has been charged with murder after the inmate died shortly after their exchange.
Rachel Dollard was taken into custody last weekend by special agents from the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) and the Dickson County Sheriff’s Department, the TDOC confirmed in a statement Tuesday. She is accused of smuggling drugs into the Turney Center Industrial Complex.
Dollard is charged with second-degree murder and bringing contraband into a penitentiary and is currently being held in the Hickman County Jail, the TDOC said.
The charges come after the death of Joshua Brown, who was serving an 11-year prison sentence on drug-related charges. His sentence was to end in 2029.
Joshua Brown.
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Tennessee Department of Correction
During a visit in February, authorities claimed Dollard passed drugs to Brown “while the two exchanged a kiss while visiting the Turney Center Industrial Complex.” Dollard reportedly hid a half ounce of methamphetamine in her mouth and was able to pass it on to Brown orally.
He swallowed the balloon pill containing the drug, but later died of an overdose at a local hospital.
Dollard was charged on a sealed indictment warrant in Hickman County.
“This incident highlights the real dangers of introducing contraband into prisons and the consequences that follow,” said David Imhof, director of TDOC’s Office of Investigations and Conduct.
“Our agency will prosecute any person who threatens the safety and security of our staff, the men and women in our custody and our facilities.”
The Department of Correction emphasized that it “uses a variety of tools to try to prevent the introduction of contraband into Tennessee prisons, including pat-searching of anyone entering a facility, vehicle and cell searches, and drug detection dogs.”
Body scanners are also installed in all facilities.
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