Grand jury to hear jail smuggling case

AMHERST — A judge ruled Tuesday that there is enough evidence against a Lynchburg couple and a Monroe man accused of smuggling drugs into the Amherst County Jail to send the case to a grand jury.

Melanie Beale, 34, of Lynchburg, has been charged with one count of delivering drugs to an inmate, a felony.

Her husband, Matthew Beale, 35, and 22-year-old Joshua Freeman, of Monroe, have also been charged with conspiring to bring a controlled substance into the jail, both felonies. The two are currently inmates serving sentences.

Melanie Beale is free on bond. The Amherst County Sheriff’s Office said she brought cigarettes and Ambien –– a prescription drug used to aid sleeping –– into the jail.

The felony drug charge carries a maximum of 10 years in prison.

A sheriff’s office lieutenant who works at the jail and a sheriff’s investigator each testified Tuesday in General District Court.

The charges against the three stemmed from a Feb. 21 incident and a search of Freeman’s cell that was conducted Feb. 26, according to testimony. Recorded phone calls involving the three were also played in court as evidence.

Amherst County General District Court Judge Joseph Serkes ruled there was probable cause to send the matters to a grand jury.

Several misdemeanor charges against the defendants could be brought back to the jury as direct indictments, said Assistant Commonwealth‘s Attorney Anthony Martin.

The next grand jury meeting is scheduled for June 9.