North Carolina Mother Arrested After Allegedly Using Four-Year-Old To Smuggle Drugs Into Prison

Jenifer Lynn Patterson, 24, is facing a serious charge this week after the North Carolina mother used her 4-year-old son to smuggle drugs to an inmate at Columbus Correctional Institution. The question is whether in addition to the charge of felony introduction of drugs into prison facility should be combined with a move to sever her parental custody of her two children.

Patterson is accused of putting marijuana in the pockets of her son while visiting the prison with two children. She allegedly was smuggling the drugs to Cody Lambert, 24, who is serving roughly a three-year sentence for being a felon in possession of a gun.

Patterson allegedly told Lambert that the drugs were in her son’s pants and took the child to the restroom to retrieve the drugs. There appears to be surveillance videotape evidence. Presumably, Lambert will also be charged.

Both children were turned over to the Department of Social Services. The question is whether she will lose the children. My assumption is that she will. Not only did she use the children to allegedly commit a felony but put the child in danger from the possession of drugs. It is to see such conduct would not lead to the termination of parental rights, even though foster care is hardly a positive situation for such children.