Louisiana Woman Requests Drugs from Sheriff

(Jena, Louisiana) A 36-year-old local woman, Tracie L. Ingram, was arrested Monday for allegedly texting the LaSalle Parish Sheriff's Office to make a drug deal. Through texts, Ingram indicated that she wanted to buy $500 worth of cocaine.

The Sheriff's Office, with assistance from Louisiana State Police, had patrol cars hidden when Ingram pulled up to make the buy, officials said.

"I wish all of our arrests would fall into our laps like this one," [Sheriff] Franklin joked. "They say that our business is one of the only ones you don't have to advertise for, it just comes to us. But in this case, well, that's stretching that concept a little far. It's never this easy."

The arrest of Ingram came about because she was texting her drug request to a person she thought was a drug dealer. Unbeknownst to her, though, was that the cell phone number of her dealer had been reassigned to a new cell phone line in the Sheriff's Office. Consequently, instead of a drug dealer receiving her texts, it was a detective.

Ingram has been charged with criminal conspiracy to commit possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute and possession of drug paraphernalia found in her car. She was booked into custody at the Richland Parish Women's Detention Facility. Bond has yet to be set.