A drone carrying packages with cellphones inside flew over lethal electrified perimeter fencing at a South Valley prison before crashing within the Delano facility this summer, according to a Bakersfield television station.
Citing recently-filed court documents, KGET, a local NBC affiliate, reported that staff at Kern Valley State Prison noticed an unknown object drop inside the Facility A yard on Aug. 30.
When the object was located, prison staff discovered a Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 drone attached with a pair of packages.
Inside each package was two cellphones, chargers and with two Bluetooth earbuds, according to the warrant filed by prison investigators.
The drone was equipped with a camera and a releasing mechanism and had black electrical tape covering its lights, according to the warrant.
Contraband cell phones are a growing problem in correctional facilities nationwide, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Kern Valley State Prison is a maximum security, Level IV prison that houses 4,600 male inmates, some of whom are considered as the state’s most problematic inmates.
In fact on Friday, Kern Valley State Prison officials said a 37-year-old inmate, Abraham Morales, was found dead in his cell that he shared with 44-year-old inmate Charles Ramirez.
Ramirez is serving life in prison with a possibility of parole after being convicted for first-degree murder, the Bakersfield Californian reported.
