A downstate woman has been charged with sending drug-laced letters to inmates at a local prison.
New York State Police arrested Elyse DeGeorge, 30, of Poughkeepsie on Tuesday and charged him with three counts of first-degree promoting prison contraband.
Authorities said a search of her residence turned up the synthetic substance K2, which was sprayed on paper, as well as a postage stamp and priority mail envelopes.
During the inquiry, state police discovered that DeGeorge delivered narcotics-laced letters to multiple inmates at Five Points Correctional Facility and Coxsackie Facility.
DeGeorge was arraigned and is being held in the Dutchess County Jail on a $5,000 cash bond.
According to public sources, DeGeorge’s criminal past predates his arrest.
According to the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office, DeGeorge and five others were arrested in 2021 after ordering counterfeit medications on the dark web.
Detectives discovered that DeGeorge sold them in huge amounts to a business owner, who then distributed them to his staff at their shop.
According to public records, she pled guilty to illegal possession of a controlled narcotic and was sentenced to two years’ probation.
DOOCS stated that emergency services had been dispatched to many jails across the state after employees and inmates reported feeling ill.
The department has not identified the potential exposure or illness of personnel or convicts. The department is currently investigating the instances.
DOCCS has indicated that it is creating a new system-wide mail screening method to avoid similar incidents in the future.
DOCCS provided a timeline of possible exposures from this week:
On April 28th, 2025:
At Eastern Correctional Facility, smoke was observed emerging from an incarcerated individual’s cell in the Special Housing Unit. A Sergeant, five Correction Officers, and a Nurse who responded to the incident complained of dizziness, headaches, sore throat,s and nausea. No evacuation occurred, and all staff involved were transported to an outside hospital. Five of the seven staff members have returned to work.
On April 29th, 2025:
Again, in Eastern’s Special Housing Unit, it is believed that a similar incident had occurred. A Lieutenant, two Sergeants, and four Correction Officers, along with a few incarcerated individuals within the area, were affected by the fumes. Staff and the incarcerated were seen by facility medical staff, while some staff members who were involved requested further medical treatment and were transported to an outside hospital. Three staff members remained on duty, one of whom went to the outside hospital and returned the next day (4/30), two are scheduled to return tomorrow (5/2), and one who initially remained on duty has now reported an absence due to exposure. As a result of these ongoing incidents, all individuals in the housing unit were moved while the facility began a deep clean of the unit to ensure everything is decontaminated. This includes replacing all mattresses and pillows, as well as cleaning the ventilation systems and inspecting electrical outlets.
On April 30th, 2025:
After completing rounds at Upstate Correctional Facility, three nurses began to feel light-headed and dizzy. All three nurses were transported to an outside hospital for further evaluation and were discharged that day. They did not return to work, but are scheduled to return tomorrow, May 2.
The involved staff members who had further testing have not reported positive results, and two OSI K9s were deployed with no indications.
