Correction Officer allegedly brought contraband into jail

A correction officer who worked at the Nassau County jail in East Meadow allegedly brought drug residue into the jail on the pages of a Bible, according to the county district attorney’s office.

Javel S. Welch, 38, brought a cellphone — which is prohibited — and the Bible into the jail, according to prosecutors. A narcotics dog detected residue of the drug K2 on the pages of the Bible. K2 is a synthetic version of marijuana that contains THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.

Welch, from West Hempstead, was arrested on March 29 when he arrived to work at the jail, and was charged with a felony and two misdemeanors. He pleaded not guilty on March 30.

A search of his vehicle by the Internal Affairs Unit of the Nassau County Sheriff’s Department discovered a fully loaded semiautomatic Glock 19 pistol that was improperly secured in the center console go his vehicle.

In the court documents, Welch said in his statement that he didn’t know that he couldn’t bring a cellphone into the jail. He also said that the Bible was his own, and it was a gift from his mother five years ago.

“I keep my gun in my car,” he said in the statement, “just in case I have to do a hospital run.”

Cheryl Bartow, a Mineola lawyer who represented Welch at his arraignment last week, said investigators did not find drugs on Welch. “He was charged with drug residue, not actual drugs recovered,” Bartow said previously to the Herald.

Welch had been working at the jail since April 2022. He was suspended from his job upon his arrest.

Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said in a statement that a cellphone in jail could become, “a tool for retribution, harassment, and violence,” and that drugs could, “create medical emergencies and further destabilize the facility.”

“The health and safety of our correction officers and incarcerated individuals is paramount,” Donnelly said in a release. “Our correction officers are entrusted to uphold the law and maintain order.”

This arrest comes after the deaths of two inmates. Ray Digiacomo, 45, of Bethpage was found unresponsive in his cell on March 1. He was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Nikita Pertsev, 29, of Brooklyn, suffered a “medical episode,” on Nov. 23, officials said. County Executive Bruce Blakeman was the one who announced that it was from a drug overdose in a statement.

“We are sorry for the death of one of our inmates who died of an overdose,” Blakeman said in a statement back in November. “There will be a full and transparent investigation to determine how the contraband got into our facility.”

Before both deaths, in September 2022, an investigation at the facility found weapons and drugs. The contraband was found during a raid as part of an operation to clean up the jail. At the time, Acting Sheriff Anthony LaRocco announced that an ongoing investigation would be conducted to determine how the contraband was smuggled into the correctional center, and those responsible will be held accountable. 

If Welch is found guilty of the felony, he faces a potential sentence of up to 7 years in prison.

Additional reporting by Mark Nolan