One San Joaquin County Jail inmate will be enjoying a longer stay in French Camp after deputies discovered methamphetamine in her cell.
According to the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office, correctional officers searched the cell of Elizabeth Ruvalcaba last week and discovered that she was in possession of 1.8 grams of methamphetamine – which resulted in an additional felony charge.
The additional charges and the notification that Ruvalcaba will likely spend more time behind bars as a result of the discovery is something that the sheriff’s office hopes will discourage from other staying in their custody from attempting to do the same.
“We want to make it clear that the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office does not tolerate crime in our community or our jail,” the agency wrote in the statement announcing the arrest. “We’re grateful to our Correctional Officers for consistently being proactive and vigilant.”
According to booking information on the agency’s website, Ruvalcaba will face an additional charge of possession of a controlled substance while in a jail facility – a felony – and will be held without bail until she appears in the Manteca branch of the San Joaquin County Superior Court on Nov. 20 to answer to the charges.
The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office has been open about contraband that has been discovered inside of the facility and has publicized the multiple ways that inmates attempt to have it smuggled in – from letters tainted with illicit drugs to visitors dropping illicit drugs in empty snack bags in the trash can to be recovered by an inmate.
And they’ve taken steps to close those avenues – including a new system where mail that is received is then scanned and made available to inmates on a tablet that issued to them to read. The trend towards eliminating physical mail in correctional institutions has occurred nationwide, and while the practice claims to cut down on contraband and illegal drugs, it is also one of the focal points of prison reform organizations that want to end it.
To contact Bulletin reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.
