Woman Jailed After Allegedly Trafficking With Inmates
June 27, 2019 at 2:31 a.m.
Woman Jailed After Allegedly Trafficking With Inmates
By Amanda Bridgman-
Morgan R. Hepler, 25, of 710 N. Cook St., Warsaw, was arrested at 7:42 p.m. Monday for trafficking with an inmate. Her bond was set at $10,250.
According to a Kosciusko County Sheriff's Office news release, shortly before midnight on June 23, a jail officer located a cellphone, cellphone charger and 12 unidentified pills inside a chewing tobacco can inside the trash can of the women's public restroom in the jail lobby. Because of prior information obtained by NET 43, investigators had been conducting surveillance on inmate Christopher Susaraba, 29, Mishawaka. The restroom discovery was forwarded to NET 43 detectives, who then backtracked communication between Susaraba; inmate Christopher Castle, 30, Warsaw; and Hepler.
Through coded messages, detectives ascertained that Hepler was tasked with delivering the phone, charger and Vyvanse, a narcotic, to the jail. Investigators intercepted and arrested Hepler on June 24 at the jail while she was participating in a video visitation.
Additional charges were filed against Castle, who has been incarcerated since March 12 for felony failure to appear, misdemeanor failure to appear, theft and possession of a controlled substance charges. His new charges are trafficking with an inmate, a Level 5 felony; and dealing in a schedule II controlled substance (aiding, inducing or causing), a Level 6 felony.
Additional charges also were filed against Susaraba, who has been incarcerated since March 6 for felony failure to appear and dealing in a controlled substance. The new charge brought against Susaraba is trafficking with an inmate, a Level 5 felony.
Hepler is on probation for her April 17 conviction of operating a vehicle with a controlled substance in the body. That conviction stems from a November incident where Hepler blew a stop sign, collided with a parked vehicle then kept going and crashed into an ambulance. Lab tests found methamphetamine in Hepler's system. Her plea agreement dropped the leaving the scene of an accident charge but required she pay restitution by Aug. 14.
Hepler's rap sheet doesn't end there, however. According to court documents, Hepler was set to appear in Superior Court II on July 10 for a pretrial hearing on three charges she picked up Feb. 18 for operating a vehicle with a controlled substance in the body, possession of marijuana and driving while suspended.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Hepler dropped her child off at a babysitter's house with injuries and the babysitter called police. Police tracked down Hepler's vehicle in the Walmart parking lot, and upon her exiting the store, followed her vehicle and pulled her over. Marijuana was found inside a just-bought box of fruit snacks, and lab tests again detected methamphetamine in her system.
Sheriff Kyle Dukes told the Times-Union that Hepler put the contraband in the women's restroom trash can to be retrieved by a jail inmate trustee whose job is emptying the trash.
KCSO Public Information Officer Chris Francis told the Times-Union that investigators were unable to determine who that trustee was, therefore no further charges are filed.
"It was a failed attempt overall," Francis said.
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Morgan R. Hepler, 25, of 710 N. Cook St., Warsaw, was arrested at 7:42 p.m. Monday for trafficking with an inmate. Her bond was set at $10,250.
According to a Kosciusko County Sheriff's Office news release, shortly before midnight on June 23, a jail officer located a cellphone, cellphone charger and 12 unidentified pills inside a chewing tobacco can inside the trash can of the women's public restroom in the jail lobby. Because of prior information obtained by NET 43, investigators had been conducting surveillance on inmate Christopher Susaraba, 29, Mishawaka. The restroom discovery was forwarded to NET 43 detectives, who then backtracked communication between Susaraba; inmate Christopher Castle, 30, Warsaw; and Hepler.
Through coded messages, detectives ascertained that Hepler was tasked with delivering the phone, charger and Vyvanse, a narcotic, to the jail. Investigators intercepted and arrested Hepler on June 24 at the jail while she was participating in a video visitation.
Additional charges were filed against Castle, who has been incarcerated since March 12 for felony failure to appear, misdemeanor failure to appear, theft and possession of a controlled substance charges. His new charges are trafficking with an inmate, a Level 5 felony; and dealing in a schedule II controlled substance (aiding, inducing or causing), a Level 6 felony.
Additional charges also were filed against Susaraba, who has been incarcerated since March 6 for felony failure to appear and dealing in a controlled substance. The new charge brought against Susaraba is trafficking with an inmate, a Level 5 felony.
Hepler is on probation for her April 17 conviction of operating a vehicle with a controlled substance in the body. That conviction stems from a November incident where Hepler blew a stop sign, collided with a parked vehicle then kept going and crashed into an ambulance. Lab tests found methamphetamine in Hepler's system. Her plea agreement dropped the leaving the scene of an accident charge but required she pay restitution by Aug. 14.
Hepler's rap sheet doesn't end there, however. According to court documents, Hepler was set to appear in Superior Court II on July 10 for a pretrial hearing on three charges she picked up Feb. 18 for operating a vehicle with a controlled substance in the body, possession of marijuana and driving while suspended.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Hepler dropped her child off at a babysitter's house with injuries and the babysitter called police. Police tracked down Hepler's vehicle in the Walmart parking lot, and upon her exiting the store, followed her vehicle and pulled her over. Marijuana was found inside a just-bought box of fruit snacks, and lab tests again detected methamphetamine in her system.
Sheriff Kyle Dukes told the Times-Union that Hepler put the contraband in the women's restroom trash can to be retrieved by a jail inmate trustee whose job is emptying the trash.
KCSO Public Information Officer Chris Francis told the Times-Union that investigators were unable to determine who that trustee was, therefore no further charges are filed.
"It was a failed attempt overall," Francis said.
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