Woman convicted of giving drugs to inmate

SULLIVAN COUNTY, Ind. (WTHI) - On June 16th, it took eight women and four men less than 45 minutes to convict Elizabeth Puckett, of Indianapolis, of bringing marijuana into the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility and giving it to inmate Willie Booker.

During the two day jury trial, prison staff testified they noticed the pair acting suspicious in the visiting area. As Puckett was about to leave, a staff member saw Puckett put a bundle of marijuana into Booker’s pants as the two hugged.

While both Puckett and Booker denied Puckett ever gave Booker any marijuana, Sullivan County Prosecutor Bob Hunley and Deputy Prosecutor Brent Stringer proved to the jury otherwise.

“We are pleased with the verdict. Drug trafficking is a big problem that poses a danger to the inmates and the staff,” Hunley said.

Puckett faces up to eight years in prison for trafficking with an inmate, a class C felony. She will be sentenced on July 15, 2010 at 10:00 a.m.

Booker is serving multiple sentences in the Indiana Department of Correction for armed robbery with an earliest possible release date of 2026.