City man who worked as jail guard indicted in drug-smuggling case

Bryant Shipman (Strafford County Jail photo)

DOVER - The Rochester man accused of trying to smuggle drugs into the Strafford County jail while working as a guard there has been indicted.

Bryant Shipman, 25, who had worked at the jail almost two years, was formally charged by the Strafford County grand jury last week on two felony counts:

One, that he possessed a small amount of cocaine that he intended to traffic; and another that he possessed more than five grams of fentanyl.

If convicted on both charges Shipman could spend up to 37 years in state prison.

Shipman was intercepted by jail personnel as he arrived for work around 2 p.m. on March 22. Officials estimated at the time he was carrying $2,000-$5,000 of what is believed to be fentanyl or heroin and cocaine.

Shipman had access to all areas of the jail, but was predominantly stationed in two of the pods where general population inmates were housed.

This arrest was a result of a joint investigation conducted by the Strafford County Sheriff's Office, Strafford County Department of Corrections and federal partnerships with the United States Marshals Service and ICE.

An indictment is not an indication of guilt, rather that enough evidence has been gathered to warrant a trial.