By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

COLUMBIANA – A 20-year-old Alabaster man is facing a pair of felony charges after a routine search by corrections officials at the Shelby County Jail allegedly found him to be in possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute it while he was incarcerated.

The Shelby County Drug Enforcement Task Force arrested Tavarus Tyriq Hall, who lists an address on Fourth Avenue Northeast in Alabaster, on May 22 and charged him with felony counts of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance and promoting prison contraband.

Hall’s charges came while he was incarcerated in the county jail on a previous misdemeanor second-degree marijuana possession charge. Task Force Commander Lt. Clay Hammac said SCSO corrections officers discovered methamphetamine in Hall’s possession during a routine safety and security inspection at the jail in mid-April, and said officers determined he intended to distribute the substance within the jail.

“It’s certainly good work on behalf of our corrections officers,” Hammac said. “The corrections officers conduct those safety and security inspections twice a day in different parts of the jail. These charges are certainly a testament to their proactive approach.”

Unlawful distribution of a controlled substance is a Class B felony, and is punishable by up to 20 years in prison upon conviction, and promoting prison contraband is a Class C felony, and carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years upon conviction.

He is set to appear in Shelby County District Court for a preliminary hearing in front of Judge Daniel Crowson on June 27.