Jail nurse arrested on drug trafficking charge

A nurse at the Hernando County Jail was arrested Friday on allegations he was trafficking prescription drugs and giving them to an inmate.

Brett Melton, 40, of Spring Hill, was charged with one count of drug trafficking and two counts of possession of a controlled substance.

Inmate Michael F. Lawson, 30, of Spring Hill, was receiving the drugs inside the jail, according to an arrest affidavit. He was charged with conspiracy to traffic.

Melton's supervisor learned he was bringing prescription medicine into the jail and discovered the tablets in his vehicle, deputies said.

Authorities confirmed the drugs in Melton's possession were oxycodone, methadone and alprazolam (known as Xanax).

Melton told deputies he had given the drugs to Lawson on two previous occasions. As a favor, the inmate told Melton to meet with a female acquaintance Thursday night to obtain more oxycodone, according to the arrest report.

The acquaintance, Christina Trough, 30, of Spring Hill, also was arrested Friday and charged with conspiracy to traffic.

Melton left the bottle of oxycodone he had acquired from Trough in his car so his kids wouldn't find them, he told deputies.

The bottle was part of the stash discovered by his supervisor, according to the report.

Melton's bond was set at $60,000.