On July 14, 2015 at approximately 7:00 am, a Detentions Deputy at the Lerdo Pretrial Facility found a small amount of suspected methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia located within a restroom accessed only by employees of the facility. Investigators from the Kern County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Section were called out. Narcotics investigators began their investigation and discovered the bathroom is used by a very limited number of employees, and Detentions Deputy Anthony Cercone, who had just finished his shift, was the last employee to access this area.
Investigators responded to Cercone’s residence, located in the Quailwood area, where he was arrested after displaying symptomology of central nervous system stimulant use. A search warrant was subsequently served at his residence, where investigators found several syringes, glass smoking pipes, empty drug bindles and other evidence of drug use in his bedroom.
Cercone was booked into the Central Receiving Facility for being under the influence of a controlled substance, bringing drugs into a jail facility, and possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. Investigators believe the drugs were brought into the facility for personal use only and have not discovered any evidence leading them to believe Cercone was providing drugs to inmates.
Cercone was employed as a Detentions Deputy with the Sheriff’s Office for almost eight years.
