08/06/2026
Huntington woman arrested for bringing contraband into the Jasper County Jail, two inmates served felony arrest warrants:
On August 3, 2026, the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office received information that on August 1, 2026, a woman visitor had placed contraband (to***co products) in the trash can of the female lobby restroom and a floor trustee had retrieved the contraband and delivered it to another inmate inside the Jasper County Jail. An investigation was immediately conducted and it revealed that inmate trustee Joseph Perser, 31, of Po***ck, Texas conspired with his girlfriend Samantha Smith, 39, of Huntington, Texas to bring contraband to the jail and leave it for a floor trustee to retrieve. Perser then conspired with inmate trustee Justin Hiltibrand- Lucas, 43, of Conroe, Texas to retrieve the contraband and bring it inside the secure facility and deliver it to Perser. On August 5, 2026, arrest warrants were obtained for Perser, Hiltibrand- Lucas and Smith for the offense of bringing a Prohibited Substance in a Correctional Facility, a Third-Degree Felony. Hiltibrand-Lucas and Perser, who were still in custody, were served their arrest warrants inside the jail facility. Deputies received information that Smith was residing in the city of Huntington and with the assistance of the Huntington Police Department, Smith was arrested and transported to the Jasper County Jail.
All of these individuals are innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
I want to thank our investigators for their swift action and officers with the Huntington Police Department. I absolutely do not feel sorry for any of these three individuals. It is imperative that our jail is secure and safe and anyone we find putting the security of our jail at risk or bringing in contraband will be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Although we work really hard trying to rehabilitate people in our custody, sometimes no matter what you do, some of them refuse to follow the rules.
Respectfully,
Chuck Havard
Jasper County Sheriff