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A man wanted in connection with alleged drug trafficking in the Kosciusko County Jail was arrested Monday.
Donta Wayne Redden, 20, of 815 E. Center St., Warsaw, was arrested and booked into the jail at 10:39 a.m. Monday for failure to appear and trafficking with an inmate – drug/weapon/cellphone. His bond was set at $10,739. A warrant for his arrest had been issued Feb. 7.
Court documents list the counts against him as trafficking with an inmate, a level 5 felony; possession of methamphetamine, a level 6 felony; and possession of a synthetic drug or synthetic drug look-a-like substance, a Class A misdemeanor.
On Jan. 5, the county jail nurse discovered contraband inside a large bottle of body lotion that had been brought into the jail for inmate Rhydeem Hudson, 20, Warsaw, according to court documents.
Inside the bottle, the nurse discovered four plastic bags that were later tested and determined to be a synthetic form of pot and methamphetamine.
Officers learned that on Jan. 4, Redden brought a bottle of lotion into the Kosciusko County Jail and delivered it to jail officer Travis Nicholas for Hudson.
Officers also collected recorded phone calls made Jan. 3 from Hudson to his girlfriend, Taylor Brandon, 19, Mentone, in which they discuss bringing drugs into the jail in a lotion bottle. Hudson then has inmate Darrel Spice, 37, Granger, speak with Brandon on where to go and who to talk to about obtaining the drugs. He also tells her a relative of his would take Brandon to Elkhart to purchase the drugs.
In recorded phone calls from Spice to Wagner, they talk about Wagner obtaining methamphetamines and giving them to Brandon for Spice. There also were recorded phone conversations between Hudson and Brandon about the drug purchase, and Hudson is on the phone with Brandon when the drug purchase is occurring, the documents state.
Also during recorded phone calls, Brandon said she was on her way to meet with Redden to deliver the bottle of lotion that contains the drugs.
On Jan. 4, Hudson tells Brandon he did not receive the lotion from the jail staff and that they are onto him, according to the probable cause affidavit.
Hudson faces two counts stemming from this case, including aiding, inducing or causing dealing in methamphetamines, a level 5 felony; and aiding, inducing or causing trafficking with an inmate, a level 5 felony. At his initial hearing in Kosciusko Circuit Court, he asked for a public defender, and his final pretrial conference was set for April 16.
Brandon was arrested and booked into the jail Feb. 12 for dealing meth. Court documents list the counts against her as dealing in methamphetamine, a level 5 felony; aiding, inducing or causing trafficking with an inmate, a level 5 felony; possession of methamphetamine, a level 6 felony; and possession of a synthetic drug or synthetic drug look-alike substance, a Class A misdemeanor.
Spice’s pretrial hearing is set for 3 p.m. April 9 in Kosciusko County Circuit Court for a count of aiding, inducing or causing dealing in methamphetamine, a level 5 felony.
