An Indiana Department of Corrections employee is facing multiple felony charges after investigators say she smuggled drugs into a state prison using items that wouldn’t usually raise suspicion—until they did.
According to Fox 59, Ashley S. Smith, a 38-year-old corrections officer, was arrested this week following an internal investigation at Pendleton Correctional Facility.
Authorities allege Smith used a condom and a Kraft cheese container to traffic marijuana and Suboxone to an inmate she was romantically involved with, identified in court records as Jaconiah Fields.
The case began after IDOC officials received a tip that Smith was bringing contraband into the facility. According to investigators, her body-worn camera footage captured private conversations between Smith and Fields that referenced a planned “drop.”
During a subsequent search of Fields’ housing unit, officers allegedly discovered a condom filled with approximately 59 grams of marijuana, 10 Suboxone strips hidden inside a cheese container, and a plastic jar containing another 12 grams of marijuana.
Prosecutors say the footage also showed Smith telling Fields she “missed him” before discussing the delivery. She allegedly described how she repackaged the drugs after buying them and where she left them inside the unit near his bed.
Smith was interviewed by investigators the following day. According to court documents, she admitted to having what authorities described as an “inappropriate relationship” with Fields.
When questioned further, Smith reportedly paused in silence before acknowledging she had trafficked drugs into the prison. She declined to provide additional details and was taken into custody.
She is now charged with dealing Schedule III controlled substance in a penal facility and trafficking with an inmate, both Level 5 felonies under Indiana law, along with Level 6 felony counts for marijuana dealing and official misconduct. Jail records show Smith was held on a $1,000 bond and later released. An initial hearing took place on Wednesday, December 10, in Madison Circuit Court.
Under Indiana Code § 35-44.1-3-10, sexual intercourse or other sexual conduct between a corrections officer and an incarcerated person is illegal, regardless of consent. The statute is rooted in the power imbalance between staff and inmates, which the law holds precludes lawful consent.
IDOC maintains a zero-tolerance policy for such conduct, which will result in immediate termination and criminal referral.
Smith was released on bond as the case proceeds through the Indiana court system.