Inmate charged with bringing contraband into Southern Regional Jail

BECKLEY, W.Va. (WVVA) - An inmate at Southern Regional Jail was charged with bringing contraband into the facility during an x-ray procedure. The scan is part of the entry procedure for inmates at the jail.

The discovery on Thursday follows a separate incident on Tuesday night, when three inmates were treated following the discovering of potential drugs. See story here: Three inmates taken for medical treatment after drugs discovered at Southern Regional Jail (wvva.com)

According to a criminal complaint obtained by WVVA News on Friday, John Sparks was charged with having Contraband in a Correctional facility on Thursday. In the complaint, State Police say correctional officers discovered two canisters in Sparks’ rectum after he had been brought in by Mercer County Sheriff’s deputies on a separate charge.

Upon further inspection of the canisters, correctional officers found a small quantity of substances consistent with both Heroin and Meth.

The case remains under investigation by the West Virginia State Police.