JAILER CHARGED WITH GIVING DRUGS TO INMATE ACCUSED OF SHOOTING DEPUTY

An Alamance County jail officer was charged Wednesday with providing
marijuana to an inmate who is accused of shooting a Lee County
Sheriff's deputy in Burlington in January.

Jo Ann Hensley, 58, of Mebane, who has worked as a detention officer
for five years, was charged with providing drugs to an inmate. She
was placed under a $2,500 unsecured bond and has a first appearance
in Alamance County District Court Thursday, according to an Alamance
County Sheriff's Department news release.

Hensley is no longer employed by the sheriff's department, the
release states. The sheriff's department received information that
Hensley allegedly provided "prohibited items" to an inmate between
Aug. 11 and Aug. 13. "An investigation was initiated, and it was
determined that she had apparently delivered prohibited items and
additionally provided a small quantity of marijuana," the release states.

The other prohibited items were "tobacco products," which aren't
allowed at the jail, said Randy Jones, sheriff's department
spokesman. The inmate, Jean Christopher Jerez, 18, of Graham, has
been in jail under $2 million bond since Jan. 11 on charges of
assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill. Jerez, Jose Antonio
Morales and Marcus Lee Thompson allegedly robbed Charles Dew, an
undercover Lee County Sheriff's deputy, of $17,500 and then shot him
in the leg at about 3 p.m. Jan. 11 on Anthony Street in Burlington.

At the time, Jerez, Morales and Thompson didn't know Dew was an
undercover officer who was on Anthony Street with a lot of backup
because the Lee County and Alamance County sheriff's departments were
working together on a drug operation. Jerez and Thompson were
immediately caught by deputies. Morales was confronted by Lee County
deputies behind a residence on Anthony Street. Shots were fired and
Morales was hit in the face and leg. Morales was taken to UNC
Hospitals in Chapel Hill. Dew was treated and released at Alamance
Regional Medical Center Jan. 11.

Morales is now in jail under $4 million bond and Thompson is under $2
million bond, according to a jail log.

Jerez is expected to be served with a warrant in jail today charging
him with possession of a controlled substance on jail premises,
according to a press release.

It wasn't immediately known whether Hensley resigned from her
position or was fired. She is the fifth Alamance County jail officer
to leave her position this year under scrutiny.

In April, jail detention officer James Bernard Stutts Jr. resigned
and Lt. Gerry Steven Helms and officers Hugh Atkins Thacker and Jason
Lee Neal were fired after a juvenile was "improperly handled" during
a tour of the jail on a Saturday evening.

According to information released by the sheriff's department at the
time, the boy, who was brought to the jail by a family member, was
"improperly restrained and possibly assaulted." The detention
officers were investigated by the SBI after the incident.

District Attorney Rob Johnson said he still hasn't received a report
from the SBI. He called the SBI last week to ask about it, and he was
told that agents are in the process of getting it typed up, Johnson
said. "Once I get it, I will go through it and view it and will make
some decision and go from there," Johnson said.