An officer at the Indiana Department of Correction's (IDOC) facility in Pendleton has been arrested and charged with numerous crimes, including sexual misconduct and trafficking with an inmate.
According to an affidavit for probable cause obtained by FOX59, police found drugs in an unsealed bottle that 26-year-old Shaqkera Graham of Indianapolis tried to bring into the facility before her shift on Thursday morning. The bottle — which appeared to contain a fruit punch-flavored sports drink — was identified during a routine screening.
K-9 Signaled Presence of Drugs in the Bottle During Screening of Employees, Officers Found Fentanyl, Meth Inside
Court records indicate that IDOC screens all its employees when they report for work in an effort to keep drugs out of the Pendleton facility. After they found the unsealed bottle, IDOC officers presented it to a K-9 that signaled the bottle contained drugs. Upon further testing of the bottle, officers learned that it contained fentanyl and methamphetamine.
Once IDOC officers determined the bottle had drugs in it, they brought Graham in for an interview. During the interview, IDOC officers accused Graham of showing favor toward Harrington Westbrook — a man incarcerated at the facility. CBS News previously reported that Westbrook pled guilty to shooting and killing two people at a house party in Gary in April 2016.
Graham denied favoring Westbrook or anyone else while she spoke with IDOC investigators. She also told IDOC officers she purchased the sports drink from a gas station before she came into work. When officers pressed Graham about the drugs they found in the bottle, she continued to deny knowing anything about them.
During Search of Graham's Car, Officers Found Further Evidence of Her Sexual Relationship with the Inmate
According to court documents, IDOC ultimately searched Graham's car during its investigation. Officials found pieces of paper with Westbrook's name on them in Graham's car. Investigators also found a phone number connected to Westbrook's Global Tel Link (GTL) phone list in the vehicle.
While they examined Graham's alleged activity, IDOC officers reviewed a phone call Westbrook placed on Nov. 30. During the phone call — which initially only included Westbrook and another individual — Graham was conferenced in.
After Graham was conferenced in, she and Westbrook had a conversation that was sexual in nature. Per court records, their conversation also indicated they had previously engaged in sexual activities at the Pendleton correctional facility. In a second call Graham and Westbrook participated in, Graham told Westbrook she loves him.
Graham was officially arrested around 9 a.m. on Thursday. Per court records, while being transported to the Madison County Jail Graham admitted that she had not bought the bottled sports drink at a gas station before work. Court documents do not indicate if Graham made any specific confessions about the drugs found in the bottle.
Indiana's public court reporting system indicates Graham has been officially charged with dealing in a narcotic drug, trafficking a controlled substance with an inmate, official misconduct and false informing.
Graham is the second Pendleton correctional facility officer to be arrested in the last 10 days. Brent Redinger — a 39-year-old from Rushville — was formally charged with felony misconduct and trafficking with an inmate on Nov. 26.
