Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly announced that a probationary Correction Officer was arraigned today on charges of allegedly smuggling contraband into the Nassau County Correctional Center, including a cellphone and a small bible that was allegedly coated in the synthetic drug, K2.
Javel Welch, 38, from West Hempstead, was arraigned this morning in Nassau County District Court before Judge Jaclene Agazarian. The defendant is charged with one count of Promoting Prison Contraband in the First Degree (a D felony); one count of Promoting Prison Contraband in the Second Degree (an A misdemeanor); and one count of Failure to Safely Store Rifles, Shotguns, and Firearms in the First Degree (an A misdemeanor). The defendant was released on his own recognizance and is due back in court on April 6, 2023. If convicted of the top charge, Welch faces a potential maximum of 2-1/3 to 7 years in prison.
“The health and safety of our correction officers and incarcerated individuals is paramount,” said DA Donnelly. “In the wrong hands, a cellphone in a jail can become a tool for retribution, harassment, and violence. Illicit substances introduced into the jail population can create medical emergencies and further destabilize the facility. Our correction officers are entrusted to uphold the law and maintain order. This defendant’s alleged actions compromised his integrity and could have had extremely dangerous consequences.”
DA Donnelly said that upon reporting for work yesterday afternoon at the Nassau County Correctional Center in East Meadow, the defendant was searched by members of the Internal Affairs Unit of the Nassau County Sheriff’s Department.
Welch was allegedly found to be in possession of a cellphone when no person, including staff, may bring a cellphone into the facility. The defendant was also allegedly found to be in possession of a small bible in his backpack. The pages of the bible allegedly contained residue of the synthetic drug K2.
The defendant’s vehicle was also searched, and his firearm, a loaded semi-automatic Glock 19 pistol, was found improperly secured in the center console of the car. The console was unlocked, and the pistol was not in a safe storage depository.
Welch was arrested by NCDA Detective Investigators on March 29, 2023.
Welch has been employed as a Correction Officer with the County since April 2022. He was suspended upon his arrest.
The case is being prosecuted by Deputy Bureau Chief Jesse Aviram of the Public Corruption Bureau. The defendant was represented by Cheryl Bartow, Esq. at arraignment.
The charges are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless found guilty.
