(Michigan City, IN) - Employees at Indiana State Prison using food to smuggle drugs and tobacco into the prision for the offenders seems to be a growing trend.
Most recently, an ISP nurse is accused of attepting to smuggle cocaine and marijuana inside a frozen bowl of lasagna. Regina Davis, 46, of Wanatah is charged in La Porte Superior Court 2 with two counts of trafficking with an inmate, both Level 5 felonies.
According to court documents, Davis reported for work on July 3rd. As standard procedure, she was was having her property scanned before entry is allowed into the prison. Two security officers monitoring an x-ray machine felt there was something odd about the image of her bowl of lasagna. After chipping into the frozen pasta layers, two packages containing 84 grams of cocaine and 49 grams of marijuana were discovered in the food.
Initially, Davis said she did not known the lasagna contained any contraband, according to court documents. Her story changed, though, when shown pictures of the drug filled packages recovered from her cell phone, authorities said.
Davis said she was given instructions by unknown individuals on where to pick up the contraband and how it should be given to a person showing up to her work station using code language, according to court documents. Davis reportedly told investigators the safety of her and a family member was threatened if she did not comply.
In late May, two correctional officers at Indiana State Prison were arrested when caught trying to enter the facility with contraband.
Janise Clark, 38, of South Bend allegedly had two vacuum sealed bags of marijuana between two slices of bread wrapped in plastic like a sandwich.
When questioned, Clark told investigators she had already made close to $20,000 bringing marijuana and tobacco to inmates over an undisclosed period of time, according to court documents.
Lowreatha Roberts, 56, of Michigan City is accused of reporting for work with frozen balls of tobacco she claimed were “brownies baked in peanut butter,” authorities said.
Court documents revealed all of the individually wrapped tobacco balls inside two Ziploc type baggies weighed just over 19 ounces.
It’s alleged the tobacco was intended for offenders, but Roberts denied receiving any money to deliver the contraband and claimed it was her first smuggling attempt at the Michigan City prison.
