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DUCHESNE — A Roosevelt woman already facing felony charges following a raid on her home by drug agents is back behind bars, accused of sending a Duchesne County Jail inmate a greeting card with a prescription drug concealed under the postage stamp.
Genesa Renee Bowler said she wasn't the one who put the drug under the postage stamp but "admitted to knowing it was going to happen," Duchesne County sheriff's detective Monty Nay said.
Bowler, 33, also acknowledged that she sent the card to the male inmate, Nay said.
Earlier this month, jail deputies received an anonymous tip that the inmate was expecting drugs in the mail and began to extensively search all incoming cards and letters, the detective said.
"They go through the mail thoroughly anyway," Nay said, "but having the intel made them more aware."
Mother allegedly attempted to smuggle drugs to inmate
A mother of an inmate was arrested after allegedly mailing narcotics to the Salt Lake County Jail.Deputies were processing a card with Bowler's return address on it when they noticed that the postage stamp was thicker than normal. Upon peeling it back, they found a Suboxone strip stuck to the back of the stamp.
"They did a great job of detecting it," Nay said.
Suboxone is a prescription painkiller used to lessen the symptoms of opiate withdrawal. It is manufactured in pill form or as a dissolvable strip that is placed under the tongue.
Bowler was arrested following her interview with Nay. Court records show it wasn't the first time this month she's come in contact with police or been arrested.
On March 8, Roosevelt police were called to Bowler's home, 456 W. 100 North, after two people armed with knives broke in and assaulted her. Officers quickly tracked down and arrested Jason Aron McAllister, 35, and his wife, 29-year-old Kira Ravonn McAllister, in connection with the incident.
The couple told investigators they had broken into the house intent on taking Bowler's 7-year-old son because he "was in danger" and they wanted "to protect him," according to court records. The McAllisters have each been charged in 8th District Court with aggravated burglary, a first-degree felony, and aggravated assault, a third-degree felony.
Five days after the break-in, members of the Uintah Basin Narcotics Strike Force served a search warrant at Bowler's home. The warrant was issued based on evidence obtained from witnesses and undercover purchases of meth made at the home, court records state.
"(A witness) detailed a lot of foot and vehicle traffic coming and leaving the residence and persons climbing over a fence surrounding the property," officers wrote in a probable cause statement used to obtain the warrant.
Officers said they found drug paraphernalia and two plastic bags with residue "consistent with methamphetamine" in Bowler's bedroom.
Bowler's son, who was home when the warrant was served, was taken into protective custody by the Division Child and Family Services.
Bowler was booked into jail that night and later charged in 8th District Court with possession of a controlled substance, a second-degree felony, child endangerment, a third-degree felony, and possession of drug paraphernalia, a class A misdemeanor.
Bowler posted bail two days before her arrest for allegedly sending drugs to an inmate, according to Nay. She has been booked back into jail and is being held in lieu of $10,000 bail. Prosecutors charged her Friday with distribution of a controlled substance, a second-degree felony.
