BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Charges were dismissed Friday against a Kern County detentions deputy who authorities said brought methamphetamine to work and admitted smoking the drug before her shift.
Three misdemeanor drug charges were dismissed against Elizabeth Fernandez following an agreement made in September in which she submitted to searches when asked and completed 20 drug treatment classes, Assistant District Attorney Joseph Kinzel said.
“Today, the court found that she completed all the qualifications for the dismissal, and the case was dismissed because the terms of the conditional dismissal had been met,” Kinzel said.
Fernandez, a 21-year Kern County Sheriff’s Office veteran, was no longer employed with the county as of June 12, officials said.
According to court filings, a sheriff’s employee on May 31, 2022, found a pouch containing meth and a meth pipe tucked away in a toilet paper dispenser inside a Pre-Trial Facility bathroom. The employee turned it over to supervisors.
Later, a sergeant received word Fernandez was “frantically” searching for a small zippered pouch.
Investigators examined her. She had “severe eyelid tremors,” a white coating on her tongue and rapid pulse averaging 106 beats per minute, the reports say. Fernandez admitted using meth for months and smoking it daily before work, according to the filings.
