Two Attempting to Smuggle Drugs into Wetumpka Prison Arrested Following Fatal Crash
Two suspects were arrested and taken into custody Thursday night following an attempt to smuggle narcotics onto state prison property near the Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women in Wetumpka. Agents from the Alabama Department of Corrections made the arrests after the suspects were involved in a vehicle crash that left a third suspect dead.
Rufus Brown, 31, and Jonisha Jordan, 21, both of Montgomery, were arrested and charged with attempt to commit a controlled substance, possession of marijuana, first-degree, and endangering the welfare of a child. Additional charges are pending.
At approximately 7:30 p.m., agents observed the suspects parked in a vehicle on ADOC property. When the agents approached the suspects’ vehicle, the suspects fled the scene at a high rate of speed. The agents pursued the suspects to Gold Star Park in Wetumpka where the suspect’s vehicle crashed into the Coosa River.
Bystanders, who were at the park at the time of the incident, and ADOC agents jumped into river and assisted the recovery of Brown, Jordan and a two-year-old child who was in the vehicle. The body of a male suspect was later recovered in the river by first-responders. The name of the deceased suspect is not being released at this time.
“I want to thank the City of Wetumpka, local and county law enforcement, and all first responders for assisting our agents during their response to this incident,” said Department of Corrections Commissioner Jeff Dunn. “It’s unfortunate that the suspects were willing to place themselves and a child in danger during the commission of a crime for monetary gain.”
The public should contact the ADOC Investigations and Intelligences Division at 1-866-293-7799 with information that may lead to the arrest of anyone attempting to introduce illegal contraband into state prisons. The public may also report suspicious activity to law enforcement by going to the ADOC Website at http://www.doc.alabama.gov/investigationrequest.
