Fifteen inmates are on lockdown at the Hancock County Jail after an inmate smuggled in drugs and distributed them to her cell block, sheriff’s department officials said.
The women, who are all housed together in the same block of the facility, recently tested positive for methamphetamine along with ingredients commonly found in narcotic painkillers, officers said.
As punishment, the inmates are confined to their 7-by-12 cells, barred from visiting the larger common area, for 23 hours a day for 30 days. Their visitations also will be limited, officials said.
Jail officers also have asked prosecutors to file additional criminal charges against the woman they believe smuggled the drugs into the facility.
Kayla Lloyd-Spittle, 30, 5528 Northport Drive, Indianapolis, was booked into the jail, 123 E. Main St., on Aug. 10 after pleading guilty to several drug-related charges, records show.
Lloyd-Spittle was searched when she came into the jail, said Keith Oliver, the deputy jail commander; no drugs were found at the time, he said.
Later that day, another inmate came forward to report suspicious activity to the jail officers, Oliver said.
The inmate told officers her fellow detainees were using drugs Lloyd-Spittle smuggled in, Oliver said.
Inmates in the block were then drug-tested. Results for 15 — about half who were housed there at the time — came back positive for narcotics and methamphetamine, officials said.
The lockdown each inmate received is a standard punishment for anyone who is found to have used banned substances while inside the jail, Oliver said.
Lloyd-Spittle is the only inmate sheriff’s department are pursuing additional criminal charges against; those charges have not been filed, records show.
Anyone arrested by police and brought to the Hancock County Jail is searched upon their arrival by an officer. Any banned items found are confiscated, officials said.
The jail is routinely searched by a drug-sniffing police dog to prevent inmates from keeping drugs or other contraband in their cells, officials said.
The lockdown has not caused any further issues inside the facility, Oliver said.