Court employee busted for buying drugs on her lunch break, North Carolina cops say
A former North Carolina court clerk faces drug trafficking charges after she’s accused of purchasing prescription pills outside the courthouse on her lunch break.
Melissa Justice, who worked at the Cleveland County Courthouse, was indicted Monday on a charge of trafficking opioids/heroin, the Gaston Gazette reported. Authorities said she was caught in a drug buy earlier this year in which she purchased over two dozen Oxycodone pills.
Police said the exchange didn’t happen far from where Cleveland County sheriff’s deputies park their patrol cars, according to WSOC-TV.
Justice, 53, turned herself in to police Tuesday but was released a short time later after posting a $75,000 bond, arrest reports obtained by McClatchy News show. Authorities said her arrest was the result of an investigation by the Shelby Police Department’s narcotics unit.
Justice reportedly landed on their radar after police arrested one of her former courthouse colleagues, according to the Gaston Gazette. Alyssa Hamrick was charged with trafficking opium/heroin after she was caught with 40 Oxycodone pills in early August, the newspaper reported, citing police.
Both were indicted by the Cleveland County District Attorneys Office.
While Justice and Hamrick face trafficking charges, Shelby police told McClatchy News they believe the women were “purchasing contraband for personal use and not for distribution.”
Cleveland County District Attorney Mike Miller said he doesn’t intend to give either woman special treatment.
“Friend or foe, if you commit a crime, we have a job to do and that’s what we intend to do,” Miller told WSOC-TV. “The public has to have confidence when they come to the courthouse.”
“Regardless of who you are, if you commit a crime in my district, at least you will be held accountable,” he added.
This story was originally published October 9, 2020 at 5:27 PM.