Northpoint Guard Charged With Smuggling Drugs Into Prison

A guard at Northpoint Training Center sits in jail after being accused of smuggling drugs into the prison.

On Friday, July 21, at 10:57 p.m., Rahjon Roberto Neal, 26, of Stanford, was arrested and charged with 1st-degree promoting contraband.

Earlier that day, Neal smuggled “spice”—a synthetic marijuana compound—into  Northpoint concealed in his boot, police say.

According to the arrest citation, Neal admitted to acquiring the drug from an inmate’s girlfriend and sneaking it into the medium security prison. Police say several prisoners overdosed and needed to be transported for medical treatment. It is not known how many inmates were affected.

Some of the reported side effects associated with spice include convulsions, kidney injury, toxicity to the heart, strokes and anxiety. According to research published in the February issue of Trends in Pharmacological Sciences, 20 deaths have been linked to the use of spice and other synthetic marijuana compounds.

Trooper Walls of the Kentucky State Police took Neal into custody. He is being held on a $10,000 bond.

This is not the first time a guard has been arrested for smuggling drugs in Northpoint, which was built in 1983.

To learn more, check out next week’s issue of The Harrodsburg Herald.