CIVILIAN ARREST AT EASTERLING CORRECTIONAL FACILITY

December 19, 2022

CIVILIAN ARREST AT EASTERLING CORRECTIONAL FACILITY

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) Law Enforcement Services Division, with assistance from the K-9 Bureau, made a civilian arrest on Sunday, December 18, 2022.

At approximately 2:15 a.m., a suspicious person was reported on property at Easterling Correctional Facility in Barbour County. Tracking dogs were deployed, and a track was detected which led to a black duffel bag and a white cloth bag containing packages wrapped in tape. The confiscated packages contained tobacco products, electronics, weapons, and drugs. The track continued for several miles to Highway 10 where the suspect was apprehended. Johnques Lupoe was in possession of a weapon with armor-piercing rounds. He admitted that an unidentified inmate was going to pay him $10,000 to bring the contraband to the camp. He was transported to the Barbour County Jail and was charged with Promoting Prison Contraband I and II, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Trespassing on State Property, and two counts of Possession of a Controlled Substance II.

The presence of illegal drugs is a growing challenge faced by correctional systems across the country. Criminals often go to significant lengths to bypass security systems and seek to introduce drugs and other types of illegal contraband into facilities. The ADOC is committed to enforcing its zero-tolerance policy on contraband.