LINCOLNTON, N.C. – A Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Detention employee has been charged and terminated from employment after she provided an inmate with a cell phone which is a controlled substance.

On September 6, 2024 LCSO detention officers discovered that an inmate, Christopher Roy Bell, 28, of Iron Station, NC had possession of a mobile phone which he concealed inside his jail cell.  While investigating the incident, detectives learned that a detention officer, Jocelyn Marie Santiago, 30, provided the device to the inmate.  A search of the device revealed that the two individuals had been in communications and developed a personal relationship.  Both subjects were interviewed and admitted to their involvement.

LCSO Detective K. Harrington charged Ms. Santiago with furnishing a controlled substance (cell phone) to an inmate.  She was taken before a Lincoln County magistrate and placed under a $2,500 unsecured bond.

Christopher Roy Bell is charged with possession of a mobile device in a detention facility. He is currently being held under a $25,000 secured bond on unrelated charges.  Santiago’s employment with the LCSO Detention Center has been terminated.