Kane County detainee charged with hiding ‘shank’ in sandal

Correctional officers found a 5 inch metal “shank” inside a detainee’s sandal during a random search Aug. 29, 2019, at the Kane County Adult Justice Center. | Kane County sheriff’s office

A Kane County Adult Justice Center detainee has been charged with hiding a weapon inside his shoe last week.

Azreal Lashbrook, 18, is charged with a felony count of possession of a weapon in a penal institution for allegedly hiding a “5 inch long metal shank” inside his sandal at the jail, 37W755 Illinois Route 38 in St. Charles, according to the Kane County sheriff’s office.

Azreal Lashbrook

About 3 p.m. on Aug. 29, correctional officers conducted a random search of the segregation cell block, where detainees with “disciplinary issues” are housed, the sheriff’s office said. While searching personal items, bedding and clothes, the officers “became suspicious” of Lashbrook’s sandals.

A body scanner revealed the shank hidden inside the sandal, according to the sheriff’s office. Investigators learned he pulled a piece of metal from inside a broom head used to clean his cellblock. Those types of brooms have since been removed from the jail.

At the time of the search, Lashbrook was being held without bail on a charge of armed violence, the sheriff’s office said. He was placed in the segregation unit for “having a history of attacking corrections officers.”

“This is a reminder of the constant danger our deputies and officer face in the course of their duties,” Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain said in a statement.

The body scanner was purchased in March 2019 after an influx of contraband, including heroin, entered the jail, the sheriff’s office said.

Correctional officers used a body scanner to find a 5 inch metal “shank” inside a detainee’s sandal during a random search Aug. 29, 2019, at the Kane County Adult Justice Center.

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