Guard at county jail caught trafficking drugs

Benjamin Jentry-Rakestraw attempted to bring in heroin, tobacco, marijuana

Humboldt Sentinel staff
7/7/09

Eureka

On the heels of a month-long investigation of a correctional officer bringing contraband into the county jail, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office arrested one of their own this weekend on drug charges.

Humboldt County’s top cop expressed outrage at the news that a young Correctional Facility officer would bring shame upon the HCSO, which runs the county jail.

“As soon as we received information of a possible contraband smuggling problem we began a complete and thorough investigation,” Sheriff Gary Philp stated in a release. “A problem like this that involves a staff member is not only unlawful, it is also extremely disappointing to me and all other members of this agency who hold ourselves to a high standard of professional and ethical conduct.”

“This type of incident is a complete anomaly for us and is frankly a gross violation of trust to us as well as the public we serve and will never be tolerated.”

Sheriff’s investigators and jail staff initiated the investigation, which included surveillance and the service of three search warrants, after receiving information from an undisclosed source that an officer might be bringing contraband into their own jail.

On Friday at about 9:30 p.m., officer Benjamin Jentry-Rakestraw, a 20-year-old Fortuna resident, was stopped as he attempted to bring heroin, tobacco and other contraband into the jail. He was on duty at the time of his arrest, and booked into his own lock-up for bringing a narcotic controlled substance into a correctional facility, bringing contraband into a correctional facility, possession of a narcotic controlled substance, and possession of marijuana.

Jentry-Rakestraw’s bail was set at $20,000 and he is expected to be arraigned by Wednesday. This investigation is ongoing and additional arrests are expected; no other officers are suspects, according to the HCSO release.