(La Porte County, IN) - A Westville prison guard is behind bars for allegedly bringing marijuana to inmates for cash and having sex with some of the offenders.

 

Karen Holt, 61, is charged in La Porte Circuit Court with multiple counts including bribery, trafficking with an inmate and sexual misconduct.

 

According to the charging information, the investigation began on November 6 when a prison security officer followed an odor of marijuana to a jacket Holt removed prior to beginning her shift.

 

The officer reached into a pocket of the jacket and discovered an oval shaped object allegedly containing marijuana inside a balloon wrapped in a brown paper towel.

 

A short time later, investigators approached Holt who admitted to placing the contraband into her vagina to get it inside the facility, authorities said.

 

Authorities said she also confessed to receiving payments from offenders ranging from $75 to $500 each time she brought them marijuana and carrying on a sexual relationship with one of the inmates receiving the drugs.

 

The relationship included phone calls where she and the offender told each other “I love you,” according to the charging information.

 

She also admitted to having sex with another inmate on at least one occasion, authorities said.

 

Holt was being held in the LaPorte County Jail on $15,000 bond.

 

For now, authorities said Holt has been suspended from her position without pay but she could be terminated depending on the outcome of the case.