Inmate Worker Helps Smuggle Drugs Into Pinellas County Jail
November 14, 2014
The incident occurred at the Pinellas County Jail located 14400 49th Street North in Clearwater. The smuggled drugs were to be delivered to the jail via the Video Visitation Center located at 14500 49th Street North in the Pinellas County Jail Administration Support Building.
The Detention Investigation Unit recently received a tip that unknown drugs were being smuggled into the Pinellas County Jail via an inmate worker assigned to a cleaning detail at the Video Visitation Center.
As a result of the tip, detectives began their investigation.
On November 13, detectives located a suspicious “parcel” behind a steel box located just outside the entrance to the Video Visitation Center. Detectives say the parcel contained over 50 prescription pills that were wrapped and sealed in plastic – and in turn placed in a McDonald’s Egg McMuffin wrapper.
Through various investigative techniques, detectives were able to identify 47-year-old Robert Stephen Lytle as the supplier. Detectives say Lytle delivered the parcel to the area of the Video Visitation Center with the intent that inmate worker 45-year-old Danelle Schmidt, assigned to cleaning detail at the visitation center, would recover the parcel and deliver it to inmate 26 year-old Stephenie Grove. Both Schmidt and Grove shared the same housing unit in the Central Division area of the jail.
Detectives say, however, that when the parcel was interdicted before Schmidt could get to it, Grove became nervous that it would be found and told Lytle to move it.
Detectives say that during the interview, Lytle admitted to making two other successful deliveries via the video visitation center; and involving the same individuals. The deliveries were made within the past week.
The investigation continues