(Michigan City, IN) - A woman is charged with bringing contraband into the Indiana State Prison. 27-year old Nichole Echartea is charged in La Porte Superior Court 2 with Trafficking with an Inmate and Trespassing.

 

According to court documents, the Elkhart woman and a man ten days ago were outside the prison in Michigan City when they were ordered to stop by a correctional officer. The authorities said they were at the prison wall, and a package had just been thrown over the wall and onto the prison grounds.

 

Police said Echartea and the man took off the running.

 

The man got away, but Echartea allegedly quit running from exhaustion and gave up. Police said two more packages were still in her possession.

 

The packages, along with the one recovered from the prison grounds, contained 11 cell phones and chargers. Cell phones are not allowed inside prisons because of the potential for inmates to use them to run gangs and commit crimes on the outside.

 

According to authorities, the suspects were at an area where contraband had been tossed over the wall before for prisoners while outside to pick up.