Corrections officer accused of smuggling drugs into Warren Correctional

A former Warren Correctional Institution employee is accused of smuggling drugs into the prison in March 2025 on at least two separate occasions.

Joshua Savion Fritz, 30, of Dayton is scheduled to be arraigned Jan. 23 in Warren County Common Pleas Court following his Dec. 31 indictment by a county grand jury for illegal conveyance of drugs of abuse onto grounds of a specified governmental facility, two counts of aggravated possession of drugs, and single counts of possession of marijuana and possessing criminal tools.

The incidents happened twice between March 1 and March 25, 2025, according to a grand jury report.

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Two inmates were found in possession of marijuana and 5-Fluoro-ADB — a synthetic cannabinoid — on March 1, which led to an investigation involving Fritz, according to Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell.

Fritz worked as a corrections officer at the prison at the time of the incidents. He was terminated from Warren Correctional Institution on March 25, according to JoEllen Smith, chief of communications for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation & Correction.

The case associated with Fritz and the two inmates is still open and active, said Sgt. Tyler Ross of the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s strategic communications unit.

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About the Author

Jen Balduf

Jen Roppel Balduf covers the communities of Kettering, Oakwood and northern Warren County, including Springboro and Franklin. She earned a bachelor of science in journalism degree from Ohio University.