Correctional officer and visitor arrested in alleged attempts to bring drugs and contraband into prisons

Arkansas State Police announced that special agents of its criminal investigation division arrested a correctional officer and a visitor on Wednesday in connection with illegal drugs and other prohibited items being brought into two prisons in East Arkansas.

Kyle E. Noel, a correctional officer at the East Arkansas Regional Unit at Brickeys was arrested at the prison and faces multiple criminal charges related to the alleged smuggling of drugs and cell phones into the prison. Noel was booked at the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and released under his own recognizance.

Tasha Hill of Little Rock, was also arrested Wednesday during a visit to the Varner Super Max Prison. She was charged with four counts of possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine, hashish, K2, and marijuana) and one count of possessing a prohibited item, tobacco.  She was booked into the Jefferson County Detention Center.

Police stated that there are other ongoing investigations related to prohibited contraband being brought into Arkansas prisons.

Don’t miss Jacob Rosenberg’s recent reporting in the Arkansas Times on the spread of the drug K2 in Arkansas prisons.