Jail detention officer arrested, two others fired in meth, fentanyl investigation

Two Sebastian County jail detention officers have been fired and one officer has been arrested amid an ongoing investigation into fentanyl and methamphetamine trafficking into the jail, the sheriff's department said Monday.

Dalton Johnson and Michael Fletcher were terminated from their positions as detention deputies for policy violations, the sheriff's office said Monday.

Daniel Carrasquillo, 33, of Roland, was arrested on two warrants of conspiracy of trafficking in fentanyl and methamphetamine, the sheriff's office said. Carrasquillo was also fired.

Johnson was fired May 5 and Fletcher was fired May 8, the sheriff's office said.

Investigators developed information through a confidential source, according to a news release from the sheriff's department.

An informant told investigators that deputies were bringing narcotics and other contraband into the jail, the release states.

The sheriff's department said the investigation is continuing.

The death of Maria Landrum, 41, of Fort Smith, who was rushed from the jail to a hospital where she was pronounced dead in early May, remains under investigation by the Arkansas State Police.

The 2021 death of inmate Larry Price Jr. is also being investigated and a separate civil lawsuit has been filed against the county and the healthcare provider at the jail.

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