TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — A former correctional officer at the Terre Haute prison has been sentenced to 8 months behind bars for reportedly smuggling tobacco into the facility in exchange for money.
25-year-old Jordan Kelsheimer, of Blanford, told investigators that she had been bringing packs of cigarettes into work and getting paid $400 per carton through CashApp. A news release states that staff found 8 packs of cigarettes along with love letters from an incarcerated person addressed to Kelsheimer. Further investigation reportedly showed that Kelsheimer had also been in an “intimate relationship” with the incarcerated person.
“Upon further investigation and interviewers, various inmates reported that they had repeatedly observed Kelsheimer in intimate contact with the inmate in and near her office within the housing unit where she was assigned and reported that the contact included kissing and, on occasion, more intimate contact,” The U.S. Attorney’s Office said via news release.
Kelsheimer reportedly received a total of $5,140 for the scheme.
“The defendant took an oath to enforce the law and protect those in her care. Instead, she abused her position for her own financial gain—risking the health and safety of her fellow correctional officers and the facility’s inmates,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Public service is a public trust, especially for those entrusted with positions in corrections and law enforcement.”
Kelsheimer pleaded guilty to the charge of accepting a bribe as a public official. As part of her sentencing, a judge ordered Kelsheimer serve two years of probation following her release from prison, and pay a $500 fine.
Comments