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Officer Fired, Later Arrested For Trafficking With Inmate

Last updated on Wednesday, August 27, 2014

(CARLISLE) - Former Wabash Valley Correctional Facility officer Adrien Higgins has been arrested for allegedly trafficking with an inmate.

30-year-old Higgins was stopped during a visit at the correctional facility on August 6 and questioned by Internal Affairs/Correctional Police.

During that interview, Higgins admitted to being involved in an inappropriate relationship with prisoner Timothy Lear.

She also admitted to smuggling tobacco into the facility for Lear in early August. Lear allegedly gave Higgins $50 for committing the crime.

Police learned about the crime after an altercation broke out in the G Housing unit on August 2 involving 11 prisoners.

The fight began after some of the prisoners wanted cut into the tobacco trafficking operation. Lear instead recruited other offenders to stop them, which began the fight.

No one was injured during the confrontation.

Higgins was fired from her correctional officer position on August 6 and told that officials were filing criminal charges.

After a review of the case, the Sullivan County Prosecutor's office issued a warrant for Higgins arrest.

Officers could not find Higgins until early Saturday morning when she was arrested in Vigo County. She was transported to Sullivan County, processed and then released after she posted bond.

"Her actions put our staff in danger trying to break up the fight, tarnished the reputation of our custody team and cost the facility thousands of dollars after the unit was locked down during the investigation, along with the cost of transporting offenders to other facilities," says Assistant Superintendent of Operations Frank Littlejohn.

26-year-old Lear has been transferred to the Indiana State Prison and is being held in a restrictive status housing unit, with conduct rule violations pending. Lear is serving a 60 year murder sentence after a Posey County jury convicted him of killing his four-month-old son. The baby died of blunt force trauma after Leer beat the child. His earliest release date is March of 2041.

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