Essex County Sheriff Coppinger Files Drugs Charges Against Inmate Returning From Pandemic Release

Essex County Sheriff Coppinger Files Drugs Charges Against Inmate Returning From Pandemic Release

MIDDLETON — The Essex County Sheriff’s Department has filed several criminal charges against Inmate Eric Jalbert for attempting to smuggle drugs into its Middleton correctional facility.  Jalbert had been previously released from custody after a court hearing over COVID-19 concerns but ordered back to jail a week later.

Jalbert, 31, turned himself into the Essex County Correctional Facility on April 21, 2020 at the request of the Salem Superior Court. During the booking process, Jalbert underwent a body scan and was alleged to be in possession of 15 strips of suboxone, a small bag of marijuana, and a small bag of tobacco.

He was charged with two counts of Introduction of Contraband to a Correctional Facility, one count of Possession of a Class B Substance (Suboxone), and one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute a Class B Substance (Suboxone).

Earlier this month, a Salem Superior Court judge released Jalbert from Essex County Sheriff’s Department custody due to the coronavirus pandemic. On April 14, 2020, the judge reduced Jalbert’s bail from $50,000 to house arrest while he awaited trial on a charge of Trafficking in Fentanyl over 10 grams. He was also ordered to wear a GPS monitoring bracelet.

The judge reversed her decision April 21, 2020, stating that Jalpert could not serve house arrest at his mother’s residence as was ordered as part of his release. Jalbert’s mother lives in an elderly and disabled housing complex that does not allow guests to stay more than two weeks. The judge also stated Jalbert had left the mother’s apartment on numerous occasions during his house arrest.

Jalbert turned himself into the Essex County Sheriff’s Department shortly after the judge’s April 21 decision. The drugs were found by corrections officers during a routine intake search process.

Jalbert will be arraigned on the Sheriff’s Department drug charges at a later date.

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