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McDonald's sack delivery fails, leaving Rockville woman facing four felonies in alleged trafficking
A 22-year-old Parke County woman's alleged attempt to deliver drugs and other contraband to a Putnamville inmate in a McDonald's sack failed when her drive through was intercepted Monday by prison officials.
As a result, Shelby Marie Stephens, Rockville, is now lodged in the Putnam County Jail, facing four felony charges in the incident.
Stephens, who was reportedly making the drop on behalf of Putnamville Correctional Facility (PCF) inmate Drew Burger, has been charged with:
-- Dealing in methamphetamine (a Level 2 felony).
-- Possession of methamphetamine (a Level 4 felony).
-- Conspiracy to commit trafficking with an inmate (a Level 5 felony).
-- Attempted trafficking with an inmate outside a facility (a Level 6 felony).
Burger, 28, is incarcerated at PCF on three meth-related convictions and one for battery out of Vermillion County. Inmate records list his earliest possible release date as Oct. 10, 2021.
The probable cause affidavit in the case states that the Putnamville Office of Investigations and Intelligence had received information that an attempt would be made sometime Monday evening to traffic on PCF grounds, specifically noting the drop was to be made by Stephens at the direction of Burger.
Surveillance was set up on state grounds, court records note, in anticipation of Stephens' late-'90s model Jeep Grand Cherokee. The vehicle was spotted about 9:30 p.m., traveling eastbound on U.S. 40 toward the suspected drop site.
She reportedly stopped the vehicle with its flashers on along the south side of the road, exited the vehicle and raised the hood. There, as she squatted down out of sight, she was approached by Correctional Police Officer Dave Wire and Investigator Robert Evans before she could deliver (likely by tossing it over the fence in a predetermined location) the sack full of contraband.
When Evans asked, "Where are the drugs?," the suspect opened the rear passenger door and pointed to the McDonald's sack.
Inside the McDonald's sack, authorities discovered:
-- A latex glove containing a"plug" item wrapped in electrical tape.
-- Inside each of the individually wrapped "plugs" three additional drug items were found.
-- Inside six individually wrapped items totaled 9.9 grams of a white, crystal-like powder along with 6.5 grams of a white powdery substance for a total of 16.5 grams. All substances field-tested positive for methamphetamine.
Also recovered were two flash drives, one pair of scissors, one exacto knife, two LG flip phones, two batteries, two sim cards and a Samsung phone identified by Stephens as her personal cell phone.
She later admitted being in possession of methamphetamine (in excess of 10 grams) and an unknown white powder.
Stephens also told PCF officials that she was supposed to make another drop later in the week to deliver two cell phones she had already packaged and made ready but left at her Parke County residence.
Authorities subsequently visited that residence and located the phones hidden in a sock drawer in Stephens' bedroom. They also recovered a latex glove containing three items individually wrapped in electrical tape and secured inside a condom.
Stephens made her initial court appearance Wednesday afternoon in front of Putnam Superior Court Judge Denny Bridges.
The defendant entered a not-guilty plea with Judge Bridges setting bond at $40,000 cash only and ordering the defendant remanded to the custody of the sheriff.
The court appointed Sidney Tongret as Stephens' public defender and set a pretrial conference in the case for 9 a.m. July 19.