Ex-Guard Starts Term for Bringing Drugs to Jail

A former guard who admitted smuggling drugs into Santa Ana Jail has begun serving a seven-month sentence, her attorney said Thursday.

Michelle V. Rodriguez began her term last week at Orange County Jail after pleading guilty to five felony counts that included furnishing drugs to inmates, said her lawyer, Charles Frisco Jr.

Frisco said Rodriguez received a lighter sentence after Orange County Judge Gary S. Paer noted how inmates took advantage of her. Inmates pretended to show a romantic interest in Rodriguez soon after she ended an abusive relationship, Frisco said. The inmates then persuaded her to smuggle methamphetamines past security for them, the lawyer said.