Officials: Alleged drug smuggling plot at Detention Center thwarted

POWELL COUNTY, Ky. — An internal investigation at the Powell County Detention Center (PCDC) has led to the interception of an alleged drug smuggling operation on the Mountain Parkway, preventing narcotics from entering the facility, according to a release from the Detention Center.

According to the release, the investigation uncovered a scheme involving an inmate, Rex White of Louisville, and an outside accomplice, Antwan Earsery of Danville. White, currently held at PCDC on drug trafficking and wanton endangerment charges from a 2023 arrest, allegedly conspired with Earsery to smuggle drugs into the detention center via the Powell County Transfer Station.

Upon discovering the plot, the release states, Jailer Teddy Lacy coordinated with local law enforcement, including the Kentucky State Police, Stanton Police Department, and Powell County Sheriff’s Office, to intercept the contraband. While deputies searched the Transfer Station, officers stopped Earsery’s vehicle on the Mountain Parkway. A search of the vehicle led to Earsery’s arrest on charges of trafficking in a controlled substance and possession of a handgun by a convicted felon.

“We’re just doing our job,” stated Lacy in the release. “But I want to be very clear when I say to anyone who thinks they’ll be bringing drugs or any other type of contraband into our facility: We will find you, and when we do, you will face legal prosecution and all consequences permitted by law.”

Also in the release, Lacy emphasized the facility’s dedication to rehabilitation, adding, “We work hard to run a great facility here. We don’t just want to house people until their sentences are up; we want to see them change their lives. So anyone trying to derail someone’s success by bringing contraband into the Powell County Detention Center should think twice before trying it.”