Kane County Officers Locate Shank In Inmate's Sandal: Sheriff

KANE COUNTY, IL — Kane County Sheriff's Office corrections officers found a metal shank Thursday during a shakedown — or random search — of the jail's segregation cell block, where inmates with disciplinary issues are held, according to a release from the sheriff's office. During the 3 p.m. search, officers became suspicious of one inmate's jail-issued sandals, and used the jail's new non-intrusive body scanner to confirm what was a 5-inch metal shank hidden within the sandal of 18-year-old Azreal Lashbrook, of the 300 block of S. Eighth Street, Nason, the release said. Lashbrook was being held without bond at the jail for armed violence and was housed in that unit for his history of attacking corrections officers, the sheriff's office said.

"This is a reminder of the constant danger our deputies and officers face in the course of their duties," Sheriff Ron Hain said in the release. "Through diligence and relentless attention to detail, they save countless lives every day."

The Kane County Sheriff’s Office Corrections Criminal Investigation Unit investigated the incident and learned Lashbrook pulled the metal piece from inside of a broom head that was used to clean his cell block, according to the release. The sheriff's office said those brooms have been removed from the entire facility, and Lashbrook has been charged with one count of possession of a weapon in a penal institution, a felony.

In the release, the sheriff's office said officers are now provided with Tasers and monthly tactical training, and they conduct regular shakedowns in an effort to prevent violence from detainees who refuse to embrace the new direction of the Kane County Adult Corrections Center, and the jail's reform and rehabilitation initiatives.

After an influx of contraband into the jail, including heroin, into the jail, Sheriff Hain requested the purchase of the body scanner, which was approved by the Kane County Board in March 2019 at no extra expense to taxpayers, the release said.