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Last updated on Thursday, October 5, 2017
(BOONE CO.) - A woman at the Boone County Jail is accused of giving drugs to inmates.
37-year-old Denell C. Clark of Fortville worked as a medical nurse with Quality Correctional Care, LLC, a medical contractor for the Boone County Sheriff's Office. She was arrested Tuesday on a charge of trafficking with an inmate.
The investigation began Monday afternoon, after Boone County Sheriff Mike Nielsen and the correctional staff noticed strange behavior during normal daily interactions with four inmates. They later discovered the inmates were under the influence of an unknown substance.
After interviews with inmates and jail staff, investigators learned that Clark supplied an inmate in "F" block with 15 to 20 mg in Xanax bars. Clark confessed to investigators and said she brought the pills in from outside.
Investigators said it wasn't clear why Clark provided the inmates with Xanax, speculating that it could have been because of financial gain, emotional manipulation or sympathy for the inmates.
Quality Correction Care immediately terminated Clark after learning of the arrest. Additional charges are pending against the inmates, the sheriff's office said.
Nielsen said Quality Correctional Care cooperated with the investigation. The company's relationship with the sheriff's office would not be affected, he said.
Nielsen said in a statement that those who work with the sheriff's office must be held to a higher standard:
"In today's society it is unfortunate that we have to deal with these types of situations in our profession but they happen. When they do, we have proven that we take immediate and swift action and hold those responsible accountable. There are inmates that will continue to emotionally manipulate staff members to benefit themselves. As I have said in the past, no one is held above the law and in this profession we are held to a higher standard."
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