(Stillwater, Okla.) — Two women accused of bringing marijuana into the Cimarron Correctional Facility in Cushing have been ordered to appear in Payne County District Court on June 2.
Heather Dawn Adams, 22, of Tulsa, whose husband is an inmate serving an 18-year sentence in the Cushing prison, appeared in court last week with an attorney. She remains free on $5,000 bail.
A woman who traveled with her to the Cushing prison, Jessie Joann Potts, 31, of Muskogee, who allegedly admitted she had taken contraband into another facility previously, appeared in court last week without an attorney. She remains free on $5,000 bail.
Cushing Police Officer Matt Piatt wrote in an affidavit that he was sent to the prison shortly before 10 a.m. on Jan. 18 “in reference to a visitor bringing contraband into the facility.”
The prison’s K-9 handler, Chace Wright, told the Cushing officer that Adams was caught passing contraband to her husband, an inmate, the affidavit alleged.
Video surveillance showed “Heather and Inmate Adams walk to the area where they take visitation phtographs, and Inmate Adams reach around Heather, and what appears to be Inmate Adams removing an item from Heather’s right side pants area,” the affidavit alleged.
“The video then shows a correctional officer enter the visiting room and escort Inmate Adams out to a strip-out room. As Inmate Adams is leaving he has a black object in his right hand,” that he puts on a table where it was recovered by a prison official, the affidavit alleged.
“The bag contained black electrical tape around two small bundles,” one of which had what appeared to be marijuana, white pills and yellow pills, the affidavit alleged.
“The other bundle was still partially wrapped up in black electrical tape and had a white powdery substance inside,” with a green leafy substance attached to the tape, the affidavit alleged.
“In the statement from Heather Adams, she wrote she received a call from some guy’s girlfriend stating that there was something that needed to be picked up and dropped off, or something very bad could happen,” the affidavit alleged.
“Heather said the package was wrapped tightly and she could not get an answer as to what was in it. Heather said Sgt. Wright saw her husband get something, and they took him away right after we took pictures.
“Heather said she was brought into a room with her son and accused and questioned when she had no idea what was found. Heather said the package was black and couldn’t get it unwrapped to see what it was, but believed there was money and tobacco.
“I asked Heather why she concealed the item in her pants if she did not know what it was, and she was told to give it to her husband in visitation,” the Cushing officer wrote in his affidavit.
“I found out Heather brought another female visitor with her that was not allowed into the visiting room,” but was in the front lobby, the Cushing officer wrote in his affidavit.
“I asked Potts if she rode with Adams today and she stated she did. I asked Potts if she brought any contraband into the facility, and she paused and looked down before stating she did not.
“Based on her reaction, I sked Potts if she would consent to a search by the CCA female officer. Again, Potts paused and looked down and stated she would,” the Cushing officer wrote in his affidavit.
“As a female correctional officer followed Potts to the bathroom, Potts stopped by the bathroom door and stated, ‘If I give it to you, will I go to jail?’ Wright then asked Potts ‘Give us what?’
“Potts then removed two items wrapped in black electrical tape from her right jacket pocket and Sgt. Wright took custody of them,” one of which was a clear baggy in black electrical tape containing a green leafy substance, the affidavit alleged.
“The second object was a clear plastic baggy also wrapped in black electrical tape that had round purple pills, oblong white pills and oblong yellow pills,” the affidavit alleged.
“I asked Potts what was in the package and she stated she did not know. I asked Potts why she brought contraband into the facility if she did not know what it was.
“Potts stated Adams gave it to her about a mile from the prison and told her to take it in. I asked Potts what Adams gave to her, and she stated ‘the things you took.’ Potts described the items as packages wrapped in black tape,” the Cushing officer wrote in his affidavit.
“Potts said she was not allowed into visitation and was waiting for Adams to come back out when she was contacted by Sgt. Wright and myself. I asked Potts why she was not allowed in the visitation room and she stated she has taken contraband into another facility before,” the Cushing officer wrote in his affidavit.
The green leafy substance recovered from the inmate tested positive as marijuana, as did the green leafy substance recovered from Potts, the affidavit alleged.
“The contraband recovered from Potts and Adams are being sent to OSBI for identification and testing,” the affidavit said.
In addition to being charged with taking marijuana into the prison, Heather Adams also was accused of having methamphetamine and alprazolam in the Cimarron Correctional Facility, while Potts was alleged to also have alprazolam in the prison, court records show.
If convicted, each of the women could be given a five-year prison term and a $1,000 fine, court records show.
Three years ago, the inmate, Sean D. Adams, 25, was given six concurrent 18-year prison terms for three counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, two counts of possession of a firearm after a former conviction, and one count of attempted armed robbery, all in Tulsa County, state Department of Corrections records show.
He also has a 2006 conviction for second-degree burglary in Illinois for which he was placed on four years’ probation, DOC records show.
***
