PENDLETON — An Anderson woman was arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking Saturday for allegedly trying to bring marijuana and cocaine into a Pendleton prison.
Miriam Christmas, 45, was being held on $10,000 bond late Saturday after she was arrested on suspicion of felony possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, trafficking in a controlled substance with an offender and possession of more than 30 grams of marijuana, Neil Potter, Pendleton Correctional Facility spokesman, said in a news release. She could also be charged with misdemeanor trafficking in tobacco with an inmate.
“People don’t get this, but everyone gets searched before going into the prison,” said Detective Bob May with the Indiana State Police.
Correctional Officer Patricia Guffey found the drugs and tobacco on Christmas during a pre-visit search at about 2:30 p.m., according to Potter. May said the woman had about 2.5 ounces of marijuana and 1.5 ounces of cocaine hidden in her underwear.
“Here’s a twist: She did it for love and not money,” the detective said. “She brought it in for her boyfriend. All these women (who traffic) are promised a hundred dollars, but they never get it up front. But she did it because her boyfriend asked her to do it.”
According to Potter, Christmas was trying to visit 38-year-old Michael T. Johnson of Anderson.
Madison Superior Court I Judge Dennis Carroll sentenced Johnson to 12 years in prison in March for having sex with a 15-year-old girl in October 2006. A jury found him guilty of sexual misconduct with a minor following a February trial. The jury acquitted him of rape.
Johnson was sentenced to 10 years in prison in May 2007 for dealing cocaine. He’s expected to be released in October 2018, according to Potter.
According to a court documents:
The teen girl told police she was drinking with her aunt and Johnson at his apartment on Oct. 30, 2006, when she said she fell asleep in a bedroom. She awoke to find Johnson having sex with her, but said she passed out again. She woke up the next day to find her clothes had been removed and her underwear disheveled.
Johnson admitted to investigators that he had been drinking alcohol with the teen and her aunt, but said he believed the trio had consensual sex. He told detectives he learned the girl’s age the next day from the aunt.
Johnson’s attorney, Jeff Lockwood of Anderson, argued during the trial that the sex was consensual, the girl was conscious during intercourse and Johnson believed she was 16, the age of consent.
Potter said Johnson is expected to face internal discipline as well as criminal charges for his alleged role in the trafficking.
Christmas has not been charged. She could make an initial court appearance as early as Monday.
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