Falling dentures thwarted bride-to-be's plan to pass drugs to jailed groom with a kiss

A would-be bride was arrested last Wednesday and charged with attempting to smuggle drugs into the Scott County Jail, Tennessee, when she allegedly arrived for her nuptials with a jail inmate with more than just her wedding gown.

Brita Lee West, 47, of Jamestown, showed up at the Scott County Justice Center to marry Willard Tinch, a Jamestown man who is incarcerated at the jail. Instead of a wedding, West was booked on drug possession charges when corrections officers allegedly discovered narcotics hidden inside her mouth.



According to a report filed by the Scott County Sheriff’s Department, West inquired about being able to kiss her groom during the marital ceremony as she was being searched prior to entering the facility. Corrections Sgt. Tiffany Byrge reportedly noticed that West’s “false teeth kept falling down while she was talking and noticed a package in her mouth,” according to the report. The package turned out to be a gum wrapper containing two strips of suboxone, an addictive pain relief narcotic, and an amount of crystal methamphetamine.

West was placed under arrest. A subsequent search of hervehicle allegedly revealed another package of crystal meth, along with crushed pills and “various drug paraphernalia.” She was booked on felony charges of possession of meth, possession of a Schedule III controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and introduction of drugs into a penal facility. She was placed under a $25,000 bond. The wedding ceremony was cancelled.