A Lewis County Jail inmate who allegedly had meth hidden in his sock during a random search on Tuesday has been charged with possession of a controlled substance while in a county or local correctional facility.
The charge is a class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
The meth was reportedly wrapped in a paper towel that corrections staff located in a sock worn by the inmate, 69-year-old Dennis Fred Thompson, on Aug. 20.
Thompson was booked into the Lewis County Jail on an unrelated failure to register as a sex offender charge on Aug. 9, according to jail records. His bail for that case is set at $100,000.
Judge Joely Yeager granted the prosecution’s request to set Thompson’s bail at $20,000 for the new charge on Wednesday, meaning that Thompson has to post a total of $120,000 to be released from custody.
“$20,000 is reasonable here, given the circumstances,” Yeager said during Thompson’s preliminary hearing in Lewis County Superior Court on Wednesday.
Arraignment is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 29.
