PHOENIX — A nurse who works inside the Maricopa County jail system has been arrested on charges of promoting prison contraband and possessing drug paraphernalia, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office and court records.
Lisa Marie Lara, an employee of Maricopa County Correctional Health Services, was arrested Nov. 4 after detectives searched her vehicle in the parking lot of the MCSO Lower Buckeye Jail in Phoenix, according to court documents.
According to the court paperwork, detectives received a handwritten letter on Nov. 4 from an inmate in the custody of the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry. The letter alleged that Lara stored drug paraphernalia inside her car and routinely parked it in the Lower Buckeye Jail lot while on duty. The letter also alleged that Lara introduced contraband into the jail and maintained inappropriate relationships with inmates housed at the facility.
Detectives confirmed through the Arizona Motor Vehicle Division that Lara is the registered owner of a white 2016 Dodge Challenger, according to court documents.
At approximately 8:05 p.m. on Nov. 4, detectives located the vehicle in the Lower Buckeye Jail parking lot. A MCSO K-9 trained and certified in detecting controlled substances conducted an open-air sniff of the vehicle's exterior and positively alerted to the odor of narcotics, court records state.
Detectives reviewed surveillance footage and observed Lara arrive at the facility in the vehicle at approximately 6:54 p.m. for her graveyard shift, according to court documents. Detectives confirmed that no other person entered or accessed the vehicle after it was parked.
After obtaining a search warrant for the vehicle, detectives found a glass bong, a glass pipe with a bulb end containing burned white residue and a purple pipe with a bulb end, court records state.
Detectives detained Lara and transported her to the MCSO Major Crimes Division for an interview. Court records state that Lara was read her Miranda rights, said she understood them, and agreed to answer questions.
During the interview, Lara denied smuggling contraband into the jail for inmates and denied any romantic relationships with inmates, according to court documents. Court records state that Lara initially blamed her adopted son, Derek, for leaving pipes in her car but admitted to smoking methamphetamine in her vehicle on multiple occasions. She acknowledged that her DNA would be on the mouthpiece of the glass pipe found inside the vehicle but denied ever smoking methamphetamine in the MCSO jail parking lot, according to court documents.
A spokesperson for the Sheriff's Office, which runs the county jail system, said there is so far no indication or evidence that Lara brought any drugs or other contraband inside the jail.
Lara was booked into the MCSO Intake, Transfer, and Release Jail facility on charges of promoting prison contraband and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.
Lara has not been convicted, and the charges are allegations.
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