An Elizabethton woman was arrested and charged by Washington County Sheriff’s Deputies after an investigation into a drug overdose by eight inmates at the Detention Center on November 23, 2023.
34 year-old Kristen Garland was charged with Introduction of Contraband in a Penal Facility and Manufacturing/Delivering/Selling of a Controlled Substance. According to Sheriff Keith Sexton, the charges are a result of an investigation conducted after an incident that occurred in a Pod inside the Washington County Detention Center on the evening of Nov. 23.
Detention Officers responded to what appeared to be a drug overdose by eight inmates. The inmates were all transported to a local hospital along with two detention officers. Information obtained by Deputies from the inmates indicated that Garland brought illegal substances into the Detention Center.
Deputies discovered two powdered substances, roughly 3 grams total, which when tested positive for Fentanyl. Garland continues to be held in WCDC and her appearance in court is pending.
