Investigators say the contract nurse brought marijuana and other items into the jail as her relationship with an inmate deepened.
ATLANTA, GA — A former contract nurse at the Fulton County Jail was arrested midweek after investigators said she smuggled marijuana and other contraband into the lockup while maintaining an inappropriate relationship with an inmate. Deputies took Naomi Marie Anthony, 34, of Decatur, into custody as she arrived for work Wednesday inside the Rice Street facility.
Authorities say the case matters now because it hits at security inside Georgia’s largest jail, already under intense scrutiny over violence and smuggling. Sheriff Patrick “Pat” Labat’s office says the investigation is active, and the jail’s medical contractor, NaphCare, has fired Anthony. She was booked Thursday on a felony count tied to providing prohibited items to an inmate as the sheriff moves to tighten entry screening at all jail doors. The alleged contraband ranged from marijuana and cigarettes to jewelry and restaurant food, with digital payments used to arrange deliveries, according to records.
Investigators began looking into Anthony on Jan. 6 after an anonymous tip warned she was carrying marijuana in her body to bypass scanners and was communicating with an inmate on a personal iPhone, according to an affidavit. A few days later, another nurse found a handwritten note that spelled out the scheme: bring in “weed,” deliver food covertly, and meet at the nurses’ station. The note also named inmate Antoine McCray. Investigators then pulled surveillance video. A recording showed Anthony meeting with an inmate at the nurses’ station; the inmate left with a concealed item and slid a container under a door to another prisoner, a report says. Deputies arrested Anthony on Wednesday as she reported for duty. “Someone noticed something irregular in the way the nurse was moving,” Sheriff Labat said. “From there, we kept pulling the thread.”
Jail records list the charge as obtaining, procuring or giving an inmate tobacco products without authorization, a felony that is commonly used in contraband cases. The affidavit says the relationship between Anthony and McCray began in October and had become personal by this month. Labat said investigators found signs it had grown serious: Anthony “went out and purchased herself and our inmate matching rings,” he said. The note recovered inside the medical area also mentioned food from American Deli and stated that payments would be sent via Cash App. In addition to marijuana and cigarettes, investigators say jewelry was requested. Video evidence shows Anthony handing items to “a couple of inmates,” the sheriff’s office said. How much money changed hands and how long the deliveries occurred remain unknown. Officials have not said whether any other staff are suspected.
NaphCare, which provides medical services in the jail, said Anthony’s employment ended Jan. 15 and that the company is cooperating with investigators. The company said it forbids fraternization between staff and people in custody and has a zero-tolerance policy for introducing contraband into secure areas. Anthony was booked at the same jail where she worked on Thursday, Jan. 15, and remained in custody Friday pending a first appearance. Officials did not immediately list an attorney for Anthony. McCray, identified in the internal note, remains jailed on separate charges. The sheriff’s office did not say whether he faces additional counts connected to the contraband probe.
The case lands at a troubled moment for the jail. Fulton County has faced years of scrutiny over violence, overcrowding and illicit goods moving through the facility. The sheriff has repeatedly blamed contraband for fueling assaults and overdoses, while civil rights groups have pressed the county to improve conditions and staffing. The jail’s security relies on body scanners at entrances and handheld detectors inside the housing units. Investigators say staff have tried to defeat that technology by hiding items in body cavities or containers. In recent years, deputies have reported seizing drugs, shanks, phones and chargers from both inmates and staff. County leaders approved money for upgrades after a string of high-profile incidents drew national attention and triggered outside reviews.
In response to Anthony’s arrest, the sheriff’s office said it will upgrade x-ray detection machines at all entrances and recheck staff credentials and bags more often. Labat’s team is also reviewing access to the medical area, where investigators say Anthony and inmates met. Detectives are examining Cash App transfers tied to the case and tracing whether any outside buyers supplied the marijuana, cigarettes or jewelry. As of Friday, no additional charges had been announced, and a magistrate hearing had not yet been scheduled. If prosecutors add counts related to drugs or bribery, those would be presented at a later court date. The sheriff’s office said it would release an updated incident report after lab testing and video reviews are complete.
Inside the jail Friday afternoon, deputies posted notices reminding staff of policies on fraternization and contraband, according to a person who works in the building and spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter. A detention officer who walked past the medical unit described “a lot of activity” and supervisors “checking everything twice.” In a brief interview, Labat said the goal is to “close every gap at the door” and that the entry upgrades will be phased in across shifts. “We’re not going to let a few bad actors define the men and women who do the right thing,” he said. People familiar with the medical contractor said shift coverage remained stable after Anthony’s firing and that clinic operations continued under additional supervision.
As of Saturday, Anthony remained jailed as detectives reviewed messages and financial records tied to the note and the alleged ring purchases. Officials say the next milestone is the jail’s security briefing early next week, when the sheriff’s office plans to outline timelines for the new x-ray equipment and report whether more arrests are expected.
Author note: Last updated January 17, 2026.