Former Guilford County detention officer arrested in meth investigation

A former Guilford County detention services officer was arrested after investigators found about 57 grams of methamphetamine and other contraband inside the High Point Detention Center. Christopher Aleman, 31, was taken into custody Thursday by the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office narcotics task force and has since been terminated.

The sheriff’s office identified Aleman as a detention services officer at the High Point Detention Center, one of the county’s secure detention facilities in High Point. The case moves beyond a routine drug arrest because the alleged contraband was tied directly to a jail, where staff are supposed to stop illegal items from entering the building in the first place.

Officials said Aleman had worked for about nine months before the arrest. That short tenure puts the focus on hiring, screening and supervision inside a facility that depends on constant accountability from employees who control access to inmates, housing areas and secure spaces.

The sheriff’s office also posted a news release about the arrest following the narcotics investigation, treating the case as both an internal corrections issue and a criminal matter. That response reflects how seriously a jail breach is taken: even a limited amount of methamphetamine inside a detention center can be traded, hidden or used to fuel other criminal activity behind bars.

The inclusion of other contraband in the case adds to the security concerns. It suggests the allegation was not limited to a single item but involved prohibited materials that should never have been inside a county jail.

Guilford County’s detention centers page confirms the county operates detention facilities, including the High Point Detention Center, underscoring that the alleged conduct involved a county-run secure facility with direct responsibility for inmate safety and staff integrity. For Guilford County, the arrest raises immediate questions about what checks were in place, how the alleged misconduct went undetected, and what changes may follow to prevent contraband from getting into the jail again.