By Luke Whyte
Corrections1 editor
The Fresno Bee is reporting that a Calif. parolee allegedly threw a soccer ball full of drugs and cell phones intended for inmate use over the fence of the Claremont Correctional Center in Coalinga, CA, Saturday.
The Claremont Correctional staff, however, was two steps ahead of him.
They received a tip about the scheme ahead of time and notified the Coalinga Police Department, which, in turn, called the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.
Thus when the ball-throwing parolee - 27-year-old Antoine Enoch of Oakland - and his accomplice Janae Mason, 31, arrived on the scene, detectives were already staking out the facility.
They watched Enoch toss the ball over the fence and then, with the help of the corrections staff, had the men cuffed and the ball recovered before the inmates even knew what had happend.
The two suspects are being held in the Fresno County jail, charged with possession of illegal drugs for sale, smuggling narcotics into a correctional facility and transportation of illegal drugs for sale.
The ball was stuffed full of Ecstasy pills, marijuana, tobacco, cell phones, batteries and chargers.
“It’s kind of unique,” said Lt. Rick Ko, “It’s kind of new to us.”