Records: Inmate says he accidentally had pot sent to Tompkins jail

LANSING, N.Y. — A local inmate has told law enforcement that he accidentally had marijuana sent to him in the Tompkins County Jail, court records show.

The man has told officials that he had intended for the drug to instead be sent to him when he reached state prison, according to authorities.

Officials charged Alanson D. Burlingame, 31, with a misdemeanor for second-degree promoting prison contraband last week.

Here's the narrative put forward by police in court records:

In an interview with law enforcement on June 30, Burlingame admitted that he put the marijuana in a hearing aid box before he was incarcerated.

He reportedly told officials that he intended for just the hearing aid to be shipped to him at the jail, not the case with marijuana in it.

ADVERTISEMENT

"Burlingame told me that he had packaged the contraband like this prior to being incarcerated in hopes of having it brought to prison when he is sent there," a Tompkins County Sheriff's Office investigator wrote in court documents.

However, officials at the jail discovered that the hearing aid case had marijuana in it.

Burlingame was arraigned on Aug. 4 in the town of Lansing court. He was returned to the Tompkins County Jail in lieu of posting $5,000 cash bail or $15,000 bond. He's scheduled to reappear in court on Sept. 9.

It's not clear who jail sent the marijuana to Burlingame.

Officials have released no other details about the case.

ADVERTISEMENT

Contact Jolene Almendarez anytime: 907-854-3248 | Email | Twitter | Facebook