PINEVILLE — In January, 39-year-old Lora Amburgy was arrested and charged with the murder of a 70-year-old Bell County man, Paul Slusher. Amburgy and her boyfriend, 28-year-old Joshua Parsons (also charged in the murder), have been lodged in the Bell County Detention Center awaiting trial since.

Amburgy now faces three new drug charges after a jail cell search over the weekend turned up several pills.

“We put a ‘weekender’ in the cell with her, did a cell search and came up with nine Xanax and some other pills,” Bell County Jailer Rex Miller said.

The “weekender” was 42-year-old Connie L. Frost, who was serving time on the weekends for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Now, both Amburgy and Frost face the following charges: two counts of promoting contraband in the first degree and one count of promoting contraband in the second degree.

Miller said that he and deputy jailers work diligently to keep drugs out of the Bell County Detention Center, but that with “weekenders” and inmates who leave the facility on work-release programs, it’s an ongoing struggle.

“We’re trying to put a stop to it, but it’s an ongoing battle for us,” Miller said.

“It takes a lot of good teamwork from some alert deputies (to make this kind of bust),” the Jailer added.

Miller said that the contraband was likely brought into the facility by Frost hidden in a body cavity. In fact, Miller insists that “about 98 percent of (drugs brought into the jail) come in body cavities.”

Miller and his team are committed to ridding the Bell County Detention Center of contraband, “If we find it, we’re going to charge them with it,” he said.

Contact Managing Editor Brandy Calvert at editor@middlesborodailynews.com.