He threw meth over a Kansas prison wall. Now he’s sentenced to serve time in one
A Kansas man was sentenced to eight years in prison last week for throwing a package of meth over the Hutchinson Correctional Facility wall.
33-year-old Jermel Fleming of Lawrence pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of a controlled substance in a February 2024 incident where he and another person drove to the Hutchinson prison and threw a package containing 247 grams of pure methamphetamine over the wall, a press release from U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas read. The typical dose of meth, a ‘point,’ is 0.1 grams, according to a report from the University of New South Wales’ drug and alcohol research center.
He was sentenced to 96 months, or eight years, in prison last week.
Fleming and two others were indicted in October 2024, court records show. Tsehay Thomas, who drove with Fleming to the prison, pleaded guilty for her role in concealing the felony drug crime and she was sentenced to three years of probation.
“The defendant admits to observing Mr. Fleming throw a package over the wall of the correctional facility,” Thomas’ plea agreement read. “After Mr. Fleming threw the package, he got back in the defendant’s vehicle and told her to drive in a hurried tone while stating they had just done ‘some illegal (expletive).’”
Tommie Baggett was indicted in the same case for attempted possession with the intent of distributing meth. His case has been continued with a status conference scheduled at the U.S. Courthouse in Wichita for May 11 and a jury trial scheduled for May 26, an order granting continuance read.
“Illegal drugs threaten the security of correctional staff and inmates because of the elevated risk of violence and overdoses,” Ryan Kriegshauser with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas said in a press release. “Offenders caught smuggling contraband into prisons are vehemently prosecuted. If you decide to give drugs to someone who is behind bars, then you are likely to end up in a cell as well.”
