After working overtime and allegedly smuggling tobacco and meth into the jail system in order to get a free go-kart from an inmate, an Indiana correctional officer was prosecuted.
This Thursday, Madison County Court accused Rushville resident Brent Redinger, 39, with felony official misconduct and trafficking with a prisoner. Redinger, a Pendleton Correctional Facility officer, has since become the subject of an arrest warrant.
When an inmate alerted authorities about suspected trafficking in their cell block in late September, officials launched an investigation into Redinger. Redinger was allegedly smuggling tobacco, synthetic marijuana, meth, and suboxone into the prison by concealing them in his waistline, according to the inmate.
According to inmate interviews, Redinger frequently worked extra hours in their cell block and went into Inmate 21’s cell by himself even though he wasn’t supposed to. After that, Redinger allegedly gave Inmate 21 a cafeteria tray filled with ounces of tobacco and other illegal items.
Redinger was seen walking with Inmate 21 while pointing at different cameras and passing over objects on video footage taken from the cell block. Redinger allegedly spent more than 20 minutes in a cell with Inmate 21 on many occasions.
Redinger would allegedly vacuum-seal tobacco and “balls of ice” (meth) and smuggle them into his cell while on overtime, according to an interview with Inmate 21.
He said that Redinger was compelled to deal in illegal goods and that he was using CashApp to make payments.
The prisoner claimed that the arrangement was giving him free cigarettes instead of cash. Additionally, he informed investigators that Redinger had expressed a desire to use the funds to repair his truck and purchase a go-kart for his son.
Redinger allegedly consented to talk to investigators when officials took him in for interrogation. Redinger claimed that after being asked to bring tobacco in by Inmate 21, he went to a smoke store and purchased a 16-ounce bag of tobacco.
He claimed to have a “small vacuum sealer,” which he used to smuggle two tobacco bags into the prison by wearing them around his waist.
According to Redinger, Inmate 21 created a CashApp account for him and started the trafficking. He claimed that the prisoner had promised him other things in addition to money.
“He said he told the inmate how his son was upset about not having a go-kart,” according to court docs. “He said the inmate told him he would give him a free go-kart if he brought in tobacco, which is what started the trafficking. He said he did not get a go-kart.”
Additional proof
Redinger refuted the allegations when questioned about bringing in anything besides tobacco.
Redinger then gave investigators permission to search his vehicle, and they discovered a huge 16-ounce bag of tobacco, the vacuum sealing machine, and a vacuum-sealed bag of tobacco inside.
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During a final surveillance assessment, officials claimed to have discovered footage from July 20 to September 26 showing Redinger visiting the inmate’s cell while working overtime. During these visits, Redinger was observed to spend five to thirty minutes in Inmate 21’s cell.
Redinger was officially charged in Madison Circuit Court 4 on Tuesday. He is currently facing one count of trafficking with an inmate, a class A misdemeanor, and one count of official misconduct, a level 6 felony. Additionally, a notice of intent to seek habitual offender status was submitted.
Online court records indicate that Redinger’s case still had an active arrest warrant as of 1 p.m. on Wednesday. As of the writing of this story, he has not been booked into the Madison County Jail.
