Ringleader who smuggled drugs into jail sentenced
Jun. 30—CHIPPEWA FALLS — A former Cornell woman identified as the ringleader who smuggled meth into the Chippewa County Jail in summer 2019 has been sentenced.
Tawny A. Anderson, 38, now of Rush City, Minn., pleaded no contest in Chippewa County Court to manufacturing and delivering amphetamines in a jail and bail jumping.
Judge James Isaacson withheld sentence on the drug conviction and placed Anderson on three years probation. Isaacson also ordered Anderson to pay $1,036 in court costs and fines, and she must submit a DNA sample. While on probation, Anderson cannot use illegal drugs or alcohol. Jail credit, in case Anderson's probation is revoked, still hasn't been determined.
In July 2019, five incarcerated women were caught in a sweep of the jail for drugs.
According to the criminal complaint, two female inmates informed jailers there was meth being circulated in the jail. One inmate said Anderson was "trying to sell the drugs to get money to post her bail."
Several women were required to submit urine samples, and others were strip searched to look for drugs. Drugs were found in baggies inside feminine hygiene products.
Drugs were found on Michelle M. Twilley during the strip search. Twilley informed the jailers that Anderson brought them into the jail, smuggled inside her clothing, in early July.
During the searches, jailers found Anderson had 15 grams of meth, while Twilley had 1.2 grams. Three other women in the jail each had less than a gram located during the sweep.
Twilley was sentenced in September 2019 for possession of meth; she was originally placed on three years of probation. However, that probation was revoked in December 2019, and she was ordered to serve one year in jail.
Chippewa County Sheriff Jim Kowalczyk explained that at the time of those arrests, the jailers conducted random drug screenings, but they only performed cavity searches of inmates if they have probable cause.
In March of this year, the jail purchased a $118,500 body scanner, similar to ones used at airports, that provides a detailed picture, finding drugs hidden in clothing or inside a person. Every inmate entering the jail is now required to be scanned. Kowalczyk said he isn't aware of any instances of drugs being found on an inmate since the scanner was implemented.
"I think it's a deterrent to individuals who have drugs or weapons on them," Kowalczyk said. "It's a very good tool."
The machine was paid for through the county's half-percent sales tax.
