ROCKINGHAM — A man who allegedly tried to smuggle drugs to an inmate last month wound up behind bars himself.
Investigators with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office say 64-year-old Roy Dean Starling, of Loch Haven Road, was caught attempting to deliver suspected Suboxone strips to an unnamed Richmond County Jail inmate on Dec. 19.
Suboxone is a depressant containing buprenorphine (a Schedule III controlled substance) and naloxone (a Schedule II controlled substance) and is used to treat opioid addiction. However, Suboxone itself can be addictive.
Starling was arrested and charged with a felony count of possession of a controlled substance on jail premises. He was jailed on a $5,000 secured bond has a Feb. 21 court date.
Online state records show Starling has no other pending charges or previous criminal convictions in North Carolina.
All defendants facing criminal charges are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
