Shadonna Jones
A Cook County jail corrections officer faces drug charges after an investigation by the Cook County sheriff’s office found she had in her possession dozens of sheets of paper which officials say were soaked with suspected illegal drugs.
Shadonna Jones, 54, is charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, a class three felony punishable by up to seven years in prison. Probation is also an option.
Last month, in response to the alleged smuggling of drug-soaked paper into the jail, sheriff’s officers searched Jones’ Lynwood home. Officials say investigators recovered an envelope containing 48 sheets of paper with a stained appearance and a gritty texture, common indicators of the presence of illegal substances.
Officers also recovered a letter addressed to Jones that appeared to have been written by a defendant incarcerated at the jail, according to a prepared statement from the sheriff’s department. The letter writer stated “he sold ‘paper’ for $10,000 a page” and would pay Jones $2,500 for each package of paper she brought into the jail, according to the sheriff’s department.
Jones told investigators she received the papers from the defendant’s family who paid her $1,000 to accept them, according to officials. However, they said Jones denied she was going to deliver the papers.
The papers subsequently tested positive for the presence of a synthetic cannabinoid, officials said.
Hired as a deputy in June 2019, Jones was injured on July 15 after she attempted to intervene in a fight between two prisoners. She had been on “injured on duty status” since then.
Jones was released pending trial following an appearance at the Sixth Municipal District Courthouse in Markham Friday. She next appears in court on Sept. 19.