A Kent County attorney accused of attempting to smuggle drugs to a client inside the Central Michigan Correctional Facility is now facing prosecution in circuit court following a felony bind-over earlier this week.
42-year-old Jayne Ashley Carver, who operates a law office in Belmont near Grand Rapids, was bound over from Gratiot County’s 65B District Court to the 29th Circuit Court on October 21, according to court records.
Carver faces four felony counts, including:
⌁ Delivery/Manufacture of Methamphetamine
⌁ Delivery/Manufacture of Controlled Substances – Schedules 1, 2, and 3
⌁ Bringing Contraband Into a Prison
⌁ Possession of Controlled Substances (Cocaine, Heroin, or Another Narcotic)
The charges stem from an August 4 attorney-client visit at Central Michigan Correctional Facility in St. Louis, where correctional staff allegedly saw Carver hand a package to an inmate. The package was later found to contain 211 Suboxone strips, 68 grams of a brown waxy substance, and 45 grams of white powder.
Michigan State Police searched Carver’s vehicle following the incident and reportedly found additional Suboxone and white powder.
Under Michigan law, delivery or manufacture of methamphetamine carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $25,000 fine, while delivery or manufacture of other Schedule 1, 2, or 3 controlled substances is punishable by up to 7 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. The contraband into prison charge is a 5-year felony with potential fines up to $1,000, and possession of a controlled substance such as cocaine or heroin carries up to 10 years in prison and a $15,000 fine.
Carver was arraigned in 65B District Court and later bound over by Judge Stewart McDonald after a preliminary review. The felony information was formally entered before Circuit Judge Cori Barkman on October 21.
If convicted on all counts, Carver could face decades in prison and more than $50,000 in fines.
This follows our earlier report on the August 4 incident at Central Michigan Correctional Facility.
