Sheriff: Woman delivered heroin-laced Bible to jail

A man and a woman are both facing felony drug conveyance charges after authorities say they caught them sneaking heroin into jail - as a stain on a Bible page.

The Regional Enforcement Narcotics Unit arrested Tehani Teepe, 39, and Timothy King, 28, on Thursday after Teepe allegedly mailed the Bible to King in the Hamilton County Justice Center in December. King was being held there before he was transferred to Butler County Jail on Dec. 19.

Both Teepe and King were charged with illegal conveyance of a contraband into a correctional facility. If convicted of the third-degree felony, the two could face up to five years in prison and a maximum fine of up to $10,000.

When Kree, a Belgian Shepherd in the Hamilton County Sheriff's K-9 Unit, indicated a Bible shipped to the jail as contraband, deputies thumbed through the pages of the book expecting something might be crammed between pages.

Instead, they found a "half-dollar-sized, coffee-looking" stain on page 420.

The stained Bible was shipped to the Hamilton County Coroner's Office and the stain was later identified as heroin.

"We've discussed the last month or two the length to which these highly addicted inmates will go to get drugs into jails," said Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Neil. "Now you get a glimpse into how creative and determined these individuals really are as we see a Bible laced with heroin."

Experts estimated that the small stain, found on the first page of the Book of Daniel, could have accounted for 30 to 40 "hits" for a user to get high, officials said. If the entire dose was taken at once, it likely would have been lethal.

Books and reading materials are typically not allowed to be mailed to the jail, unless they come directly from the publisher. However, religious readings are an exception.

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"I want to commend my staff, who remain vigilant in our efforts to keep drugs out," Neil said. "Criminals are determined, but so are we."

The incident remains under investigation by the Sheriff's Office, the Regional Enforcement Narcotics Unit and the Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigation Section.

Correction: Jan. 17. This story has been updated to correct the reference to the first page of the Book of Daniel.