SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — A detention deputy assigned to the Seminole County jail was arrested Tuesday, accused of smuggling drugs into the facility and giving them to an inmate.
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The Sheriff’s Office opened their own criminal investigation into Deputy Starr Ariel Muhammad on Nov. 25 after a cache of prohibited items were found in one inmate’s cell. The items included two electronic vapes and vape cartridges of suspected THC oil.
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According to the sheriff’s office, their investigation pointed them to Muhammad as the person responsible sneaking the contraband into the jail and delivering it to the inmate.
Muhammad was placed on administrative suspension Monday and arrested Tuesday on charges of sale, manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance and smuggling or introduction of contraband into a county detention facility, both felonies.
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Muhammad is being held in the John E. Polk Correctional Facility- where she had been assigned- on a total of $20,000 bond.
According to the sheriff’s office, Muhammad has been with the agency since March of 2017, but was served with a notice marking the beginning of the termination process after her arrest.
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“Muhammad’s actions are out of line with the norms, customs, and values of our organization,” Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma said in a statement, ”She has completely violated the public trust and oath that she took. I am proud of the swift work our investigators did to get to the bottom of this case.”
The criminal investigation and the the sheriff’s office internal investigation are both ongoing. Muhammad’s case will be prosecuted by the State Attorney’s Office.
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