JOINT INVESTIGATION FOLLOWS DRUG BUST

Innisfail RCMP and Bowden Institution will be conducting a joint
investigation after a 32-year-old Olds woman and Bowden Institution
employee was arrested for possession of a large quantity of cannabis marijuana.

RCMP said the drug was destined for inmates of the institution.

The employee was arrested as she arrived for work and attempted to bring
the cannabis into the 500 inmate institution, April 8. Innisfail Cpl. Mark
Brown said the investigation will continue.

"We are not done yet, there are still a few people to be spoken to," said
Brown.

Angela Lynn Griffiths faces a charge of Possession of a controlled
substance for the purpose of trafficking. She is not a correction officer
at the facility but is employed with the Corps of Commissionaires, which
supervises construction and other work in the prison.

Griffiths was arrested after prison staff received information, said Brown.

"They were looking into the possibility of someone bringing drugs in," he said.

Rita Wehrle, assistant warden, said it has been almost three years since
someone has been caught bringing drugs into the institution. "This is a
rare circumstance for these type of people to be involved. There had to be
something in it for her to take these kinds of risks."

Wehrle went on to say Griffiths was put in a position of trust and the
effects of breaking that trust could have been damaging.

"She is adding fuel to the fire in here. She put the staff, inmates and the
security at this institution at risk; adding to the drug market could have
caused some serious damage."

Griffiths has been released by a justice of the peace and is scheduled to
appear in Red Deer provincial court on May 6.

Reached at her Olds home Sunday, Griffiths said she plans to fight the
charge, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail.

She declined to comment further, referring the matter to counsel.

~with files from Dan Singleton and Liz Driscoll