6 Arrests In Peninsula Jail-Drug Smuggling; 4 Others Sought

SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA -- Six people were arrested recently and four other suspects are at-large after authorities said they sent meth-laced mail to the Maple Street Correctional Center with the intention of distributing it to inmates.

The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office said Richard Wood, 44 of Daly City, was arrested in Burlingame and booked for numerous counts of possession for sales of a controlled substance, transportation of a controlled substance, criminal conspiracy, and bringing drugs into a correctional facility. He is being held in lieu of $700,000.00 bail.

The following inmates were re-arrested as a result of the month-long investigation:

• Rhiannon Lawler, 37, San Francisco
• Shelby Myers, 26, San Mateo
• Peweli Pinkston, 27, East Palo Alto
• Sara Regan, 34, San Francisco
• Jean Stoller, 36, Pacifica

Four other suspects are at-large:

• Bridgette Chavis-Damon, 38, Redwood
• Ephraim Manlapaz, 44, San Francisco
• Nancy Sanchez, 32, San Francisco
• Agnes Banquerifo-Taylor, 47, Pacifica

Officials said the suspects outside of the jail would send letters and cards that had been dipped in liquefied meth then sent them to the inmates.

"The suspects hoped that by dipping paper in methamphetamine and mailing it into the jail that it would not be discovered by Correctional staff. The letters were immediately detected by Correctional staff and an extensive investigation began," officials said in a press release.

“This case highlights the ongoing commitment of the Sheriff’s Office to running safe Correctional facilities," Captain Paul Kunkel of the Maple Street Correctional Center said. "We will continue to investigate and take action on any criminal activity that endangers the safety of our staff or the safety of the inmates in our custody.”

Anyone with further information about this is encouraged to call the Special Agent Rich Daly at (650) 573-3991 or at rdaly@smcgov.org. You may also remain anonymous by calling the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Anonymous Tip Line at 1-800-547-2700.

--From left to right, top to bottom: Rhiannon Lawler, Shelby Myers, Peweli Pinkston, Sara Regan, Jean Stoller and Richard Wood. Booking photos via San Mateo County Sheriff's Office