Maricopa County Jail Nurse Arrested After Vehicle Search

Detectives searched Lara’s car in the Lower Buckeye Jail parking lot after receiving a handwritten letter from an incarcerated person alleging she kept drug paraphernalia in the vehicle and brought contraband into the jail. The letter also alleged she had inappropriate relationships with inmates. The letter was dated August 26 and was received by detectives on November 4, court records state.

A drug-detection dog alerted to the car shortly after 8 p.m. on November 4, according to court documents. Investigators reviewed surveillance footage and determined Lara had arrived for her overnight shift at about 6:54 p.m.; the footage showed no one else accessing the vehicle after it was parked. A warrant search uncovered a glass bong and two pipes, one of which had burned white residue.

During an interview, Lara denied bringing contraband into the jail or having romantic relationships with inmates. Court records say she first blamed her adopted son for leaving the pipes in the car, then acknowledged smoking methamphetamine in the vehicle on multiple occasions. She said her DNA would be on the glass pipe’s mouthpiece, but denied using methamphetamine in the jail parking lot.

The sheriff’s office said there was no indication or evidence that Lara had brought drugs or other contraband inside the jail. She was booked for allegedly facilitating prison contraband and possessing drug paraphernalia. The charges are allegations; Lara has not been convicted.