3 San Mateo sheriff’s employees accused of smuggling to inmates

Correctional officer George Ismael Correctional officer George Ismael Photo: San Mateo County Sheriff Photo: San Mateo County Sheriff Image 1 of / 4 Caption Close 3 San Mateo sheriff’s employees accused of smuggling to inmates 1 / 4 Back to Gallery

A San Mateo County deputy who recently ran for sheriff, as well as two county correctional officers, have been arrested and charged with smuggling drugs and cell phones into jail for inmates, authorities said Friday.

Deputy Juan Pablo Lopez, 50, of Redwood City and correctional officers Michael Del Carlo and George Ismael were arrested on charges that they hatched a plan to bring the contraband into the county lockup in Redwood City, said District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe.

Each was charged with various crimes, including conspiracy to bring an unauthorized communication device into jail and conspiracy to obstruct justice. Ismael was also charged with conspiracy to bring controlled substances into jail and furnishing controlled substances to inmates.

Several inmates were also charged in the case. The primary recipient of the items, Wagstaffe said, was a “validated criminal street gang member.”

Lopez, a 26-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office, was a write-in candidate for sheriff in the June primary election. Del Carlo has been a correctional officer for 19 years, Ismael for 15 years. Del Carlo and Ismael are non-sworn civilian employees.

On his campaign website, which solicited PayPal donations, Lopez had blasted Sheriff Greg Munks as “not the person to lead the law enforcement program for the County of San Mateo.” Instead, Lopez touted himself as someone who would “restore integrity to the leadership” of the office and be a sheriff that voters could “respect and trust.”

An attorney for Lopez did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.

The sheriff’s employees are all on paid administrative leave pending the conclusion of the criminal case.

In a statement Friday, sheriff’s officials said investigators discovered “possible inappropriate activity among staff members and inmates that included illegal contraband” in December. To ensure a fair probe, the case was transferred to the district attorney’s office, said Deputy Rebecca Rosenblatt, a sheriff’s spokeswoman.

She said the office “is concerned about these allegations and takes them very seriously. If these allegations are found to be true, they do not reflect the core values and professionalism of the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office and will not be tolerated.”

Henry K. Lee is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: hlee@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @henryklee