THOMASVILLE — A Thomas County prison inmate was charged with methamphetamine possession Tuesday morning after prison personnel found the drug in his hand.

A prison corrections officer was with inmates preparing to depart for a work detail when Josef Hasty, 26, was seen with a plastic wrap in his hand, according to reports.

“The inmate tried to hide it in his pocket,” said Louis Schofill, Thomas County/Thomasville Narcotics/Vice Division commander.

The corrections officer asked Hasty to hand over the object. The inmate refused.

Schofill said Hasty was strip-searched.

“He had it balled up in a fist. He would not give it to them,” Schofill said.

The inmate eventually turned over the plastic wrap, which contained 10 grams of meth.

On the street, the drug would have had a value of about $800. “In prison, it’s going to be three times that amount,” Schofill said.

Hasty is charged with methamphetamine possession with intent to distribute and crossing guardlines with drugs.

 

Senior reporter Patti Dozier can be reached at (229) 226-2400, ext. 1820