Meth “Kiss of Death” Kills Tennessee Prisoner; Girlfriend Charged with Murder
by Jo Ellen Nott
On August 13, 2022, special agents of the Tennessee Department of Corrections (DOC) and deputies from the Dickson County Sheriff’s Department arrested Rachel Dollard, 33, on charges of second-degree murder and introduction of contraband into a penal facility, after she allegedly passed half an ounce of methamphetamine to her incarcerated boyfriend while kissing him.
The prisoner, Joshua Brown, swallowed the drugs during Dollard’s visit to Turney Center Industrial Complex, where he was serving an 11-year sentence on drug related charges with an anticipated release in 2029. He later died at a local hospital.
DOC has not been forthcoming regarding how Dollard was allegedly able to bring the drug into the complex. In a press statement about the arrest, the agency claimed to use several tools to prevent passage of contraband: pat-downs of individuals entering the prisons, vehicle and cell searches, as well as drug-sniffing dogs. Additionally, body scanners are currently being installed according, to the agency.
Dollard’s mother, Sonia, said the arrest shocked her daughter. The younger Dollard claims to have feelings for the deceased man and denied any wrongdoing. In an interview with NBC News, Sonia Dollard reported, “I wasn’t there, so I don’t know, but she’s denying this happened.”
In 2016 another jailhouse kiss turned fatal when Melissa Ann Blair passed seven tiny balloons filled with methamphetamine to her boyfriend, Anthony Powell, during a kiss at the Oregon State Penitentiary where he was held. Powell died of methamphetamine toxicity not long after when two of the balloons ruptured in his stomach. A judge sentenced Blair, 46, to two years in federal prison and ordered three years of post-release supervision and participation in drug treatment and mental health programs.
Rachel Dollard faces a maximum of 60 years in prison if found guilty of Joshua Brown’s untimely death. In the interview with NBC News, her mother said, “It’s a tragic, tragic, tragic thing for Josh’s family and our family, and we are just praying for God to come into this and help us all through it.”
Sources: CTV News, Washington Post
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