1 00:00:06,240 --> 00:00:09,640 Speaker 1: Good stuff coming out of the WYBC news room via 2 00:00:10,080 --> 00:00:13,840 Speaker 1: John at Cruz who joins us in the studio right now, Okay, 3 00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:17,680 Speaker 1: we have to talk about this sergeant, former sergeant who 4 00:00:17,760 --> 00:00:22,360 Speaker 1: was whistleblowing exposing abuse in the Indiana prison system. 5 00:00:23,880 --> 00:00:25,280 Speaker 2: Why did she contact you? 6 00:00:25,280 --> 00:00:27,640 Speaker 3: You know, that's what I said, the same thing. 7 00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:31,960 Speaker 4: It was from the past story I did on the 8 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:34,960 Speaker 4: Plainfield Correctional Facility. And so she saw my story and 9 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:38,000 Speaker 4: she sent me a DM specifically on TikTok and said, Hey, 10 00:00:38,479 --> 00:00:40,839 Speaker 4: I have a story. I want to go public with it, 11 00:00:41,040 --> 00:00:43,199 Speaker 4: and I think it's time for me to share what 12 00:00:43,280 --> 00:00:43,959 Speaker 4: I've experienced. 13 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:45,280 Speaker 2: Okay, what does she share with you? 14 00:00:45,560 --> 00:00:49,680 Speaker 4: So she was a sergeant at the Miami Correctional Facility 15 00:00:49,800 --> 00:00:52,800 Speaker 4: from June of twenty twenty three to lay around the 16 00:00:52,880 --> 00:00:56,840 Speaker 4: later part of twenty twenty four, and she experienced a 17 00:00:57,000 --> 00:01:00,560 Speaker 4: multitude of things in terms of first of all, all 18 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:03,200 Speaker 4: of a sudden she got promoted very quickly, which at 19 00:01:03,200 --> 00:01:05,520 Speaker 4: the beginning she kind of thought it was like like, Wow, 20 00:01:05,560 --> 00:01:06,319 Speaker 4: I'm getting promoted. 21 00:01:06,360 --> 00:01:07,399 Speaker 3: I must be doing my job. 22 00:01:07,760 --> 00:01:10,600 Speaker 4: Well, it's apparently, because you know, the turnover there is 23 00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:15,559 Speaker 4: just insane. She described it as a promotion to fail 24 00:01:15,760 --> 00:01:19,520 Speaker 4: because you're not getting adequately trained within the position that 25 00:01:19,560 --> 00:01:20,080 Speaker 4: you're doing. 26 00:01:20,520 --> 00:01:22,480 Speaker 3: She had no protective. 27 00:01:21,959 --> 00:01:24,640 Speaker 4: Gear for months, and they claimed it was because they 28 00:01:24,640 --> 00:01:27,240 Speaker 4: didn't have anything in her size. So here was she 29 00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:30,200 Speaker 4: walking and roaming the halls and doing what she was 30 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:33,440 Speaker 4: supposed to do without any protective gear at all, without 31 00:01:33,440 --> 00:01:37,880 Speaker 4: any pepper spray, nothing to defend herself. She also had 32 00:01:37,920 --> 00:01:42,080 Speaker 4: alleged some sexual harassment from some of her superiors, and 33 00:01:42,120 --> 00:01:46,120 Speaker 4: so when she tried to submit those that information into 34 00:01:46,120 --> 00:01:49,080 Speaker 4: their system. It's called a delta system in the facilities, 35 00:01:49,600 --> 00:01:52,240 Speaker 4: and when she submitted, it goes through a process. So 36 00:01:52,760 --> 00:01:55,760 Speaker 4: when you submit something, it just doesn't go directly to 37 00:01:56,560 --> 00:01:58,240 Speaker 4: a system where people overlook it. 38 00:01:58,240 --> 00:02:02,160 Speaker 3: It goes to the superiors who you're actually reporting on. 39 00:02:02,560 --> 00:02:06,560 Speaker 4: So essentially her tickets would get intercepted and then they 40 00:02:06,560 --> 00:02:08,160 Speaker 4: wouldn't they wouldn't follow through. 41 00:02:08,320 --> 00:02:08,760 Speaker 2: Oh wow. 42 00:02:08,880 --> 00:02:09,720 Speaker 3: Yeah, So she was. 43 00:02:09,680 --> 00:02:12,160 Speaker 4: Like in this circle of Okay, I'm getting harassed, I'm 44 00:02:12,200 --> 00:02:15,239 Speaker 4: submitting what I'm supposed to be doing, but now I'm 45 00:02:15,280 --> 00:02:18,000 Speaker 4: reporting on the people who are actually getting these reports, 46 00:02:18,240 --> 00:02:20,520 Speaker 4: and now they're not sending it downstate to where they 47 00:02:20,560 --> 00:02:21,000 Speaker 4: need to go. 48 00:02:21,639 --> 00:02:24,919 Speaker 2: Tell me about the starvation and the plastic fork incident. 49 00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:28,080 Speaker 4: Oh my goodness, this I could not believe. So she 50 00:02:28,240 --> 00:02:31,760 Speaker 4: was actually in their restrictive housing unit and she was 51 00:02:31,840 --> 00:02:35,640 Speaker 4: told to watch this specific inmate to make sure that 52 00:02:35,840 --> 00:02:39,080 Speaker 4: no food gets past to him. He apparently got so 53 00:02:39,240 --> 00:02:42,200 Speaker 4: delirious to the point that he found a plastic fork 54 00:02:42,360 --> 00:02:45,560 Speaker 4: and he started to stab himself with it, and his 55 00:02:45,600 --> 00:02:48,880 Speaker 4: intestines fell out of his stomach, and they entered him 56 00:02:48,880 --> 00:02:51,839 Speaker 4: into a mental facility. Yeah, and she had to sit 57 00:02:51,880 --> 00:02:54,720 Speaker 4: there and watch it and not do anything about it. 58 00:02:54,840 --> 00:02:58,240 Speaker 5: Now, you know, reporting this and following the proper complaint 59 00:02:58,320 --> 00:03:01,000 Speaker 5: procedures so important in situations like this, And you mentioned 60 00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:03,400 Speaker 5: that she did that for the sexual harassment process of that. 61 00:03:03,600 --> 00:03:06,120 Speaker 5: Did she also follow through and report any complaints on 62 00:03:06,160 --> 00:03:07,280 Speaker 5: this starvation issue? 63 00:03:07,400 --> 00:03:07,640 Speaker 2: Yeah? 64 00:03:07,680 --> 00:03:10,320 Speaker 3: She reported every single thing. Everything. 65 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:12,079 Speaker 4: She had pushed back a lot of times. They were 66 00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:14,120 Speaker 4: just like, if you don't like it, you can leave. 67 00:03:14,480 --> 00:03:16,919 Speaker 4: You know, Indiana is a free will at will state, 68 00:03:16,960 --> 00:03:18,760 Speaker 4: and you know, you can just go ahead and walk. 69 00:03:19,120 --> 00:03:19,960 Speaker 3: She said she got to. 70 00:03:19,919 --> 00:03:23,480 Speaker 4: A point where the job was so detrimental to herself 71 00:03:23,520 --> 00:03:26,080 Speaker 4: and to her mental state that they actually put her 72 00:03:26,160 --> 00:03:28,680 Speaker 4: ended up admitting her to a hospital, getting putting her 73 00:03:28,720 --> 00:03:31,200 Speaker 4: on suicide watch because she couldn't take it. She was 74 00:03:31,280 --> 00:03:35,000 Speaker 4: getting peed on, she got things thrown at her. I mean, 75 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:37,680 Speaker 4: it was just absolutely insane. And so I just could 76 00:03:37,680 --> 00:03:40,560 Speaker 4: not believe all of these reports. And I actually I 77 00:03:40,680 --> 00:03:46,119 Speaker 4: contacted the Indiana Department of Corrections. I contacted Miami Correctional Facility. Yeah, 78 00:03:46,120 --> 00:03:48,760 Speaker 4: what's the official I was like, hello, like, what is this? 79 00:03:49,200 --> 00:03:49,800 Speaker 3: Is this true? 80 00:03:49,800 --> 00:03:52,680 Speaker 4: If it is, were the proper steps taken in order 81 00:03:52,720 --> 00:03:56,080 Speaker 4: to rectify the situation. Nobody has responded to me. Okay, 82 00:03:56,160 --> 00:03:57,720 Speaker 4: you think this is kind of a pretty big story 83 00:03:57,760 --> 00:04:00,720 Speaker 4: of accusations for somebody to respond some in regards to 84 00:04:00,760 --> 00:04:01,560 Speaker 4: their prison system. 85 00:04:01,920 --> 00:04:04,360 Speaker 1: Was she able to offer you any sort of documents 86 00:04:04,480 --> 00:04:07,920 Speaker 1: or any reports or any other parties to confirm this. 87 00:04:08,360 --> 00:04:11,320 Speaker 4: She did list a lot of people that she worked 88 00:04:11,320 --> 00:04:13,400 Speaker 4: with during that time frame. I also reached out to 89 00:04:13,400 --> 00:04:17,000 Speaker 4: them as well, and I have not gotten responses to them. 90 00:04:17,000 --> 00:04:20,719 Speaker 4: But because of this story coming out, I also right 91 00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:24,560 Speaker 4: now have dms in my social media of people who 92 00:04:24,600 --> 00:04:28,160 Speaker 4: have specifically worked in that space and said I was 93 00:04:28,200 --> 00:04:30,520 Speaker 4: also a former sergeant. All of this did happen to me. 94 00:04:30,640 --> 00:04:33,599 Speaker 2: So people are coming through. I want to corroborate. 95 00:04:33,200 --> 00:04:36,120 Speaker 4: Absolutely, and so that I have actually another story in 96 00:04:36,160 --> 00:04:37,720 Speaker 4: my DM right now. I just kind of skimmed through 97 00:04:37,720 --> 00:04:40,359 Speaker 4: it before we came on air, and she has a 98 00:04:40,400 --> 00:04:42,880 Speaker 4: similar story where they actually tried to settle with her 99 00:04:43,400 --> 00:04:45,599 Speaker 4: and they made it to turn around that everything was 100 00:04:45,640 --> 00:04:47,600 Speaker 4: her faults. And so I was like, oh wow, I've 101 00:04:47,640 --> 00:04:49,520 Speaker 4: got to dig into this a little bit more. 102 00:04:49,440 --> 00:04:52,160 Speaker 5: Now because she claims she did file the proper reports 103 00:04:52,160 --> 00:04:54,600 Speaker 5: and the procedures and complaints about this that should leave 104 00:04:54,640 --> 00:04:57,960 Speaker 5: a paper trail. Have you tried getting access to those documents? 105 00:04:58,080 --> 00:04:59,640 Speaker 3: Yeah, but nobody will respond to me. 106 00:05:00,160 --> 00:05:02,240 Speaker 5: Oh so that was you reached out saying, hey, I'd 107 00:05:02,279 --> 00:05:04,599 Speaker 5: like access to these and they haven't responded yet. 108 00:05:04,640 --> 00:05:05,760 Speaker 2: Okay, okay, quickly. 109 00:05:05,880 --> 00:05:09,159 Speaker 1: You've also got some new accusations rocking the Clinton County 110 00:05:09,200 --> 00:05:10,200 Speaker 1: Sheriff's office. 111 00:05:10,279 --> 00:05:13,800 Speaker 4: Yes, so they had a their sheriff had a merit 112 00:05:13,839 --> 00:05:15,880 Speaker 4: meeting this past week and at the end of it 113 00:05:15,920 --> 00:05:19,200 Speaker 4: they let the public come into say anything that need 114 00:05:19,960 --> 00:05:22,839 Speaker 4: to say to kind of talk with the sheriffs. Somebody 115 00:05:22,839 --> 00:05:26,120 Speaker 4: stood up who is a lifelong resident over in Frankfort 116 00:05:26,160 --> 00:05:30,240 Speaker 4: and Clanton County, and he specified that the town has 117 00:05:30,320 --> 00:05:33,200 Speaker 4: been talking about a lot of things happening in regards 118 00:05:33,240 --> 00:05:35,359 Speaker 4: to the Sheriff's office, specifically. 119 00:05:34,800 --> 00:05:36,280 Speaker 3: Captain Matt Myers. 120 00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:41,120 Speaker 4: There is some accusations of some sexual relations within a 121 00:05:41,279 --> 00:05:45,479 Speaker 4: civilian employee of the sheriff's office, as well as there 122 00:05:45,520 --> 00:05:49,880 Speaker 4: has been alleged some instances of him being intoxicated and 123 00:05:49,920 --> 00:05:51,360 Speaker 4: then sleeping it off. 124 00:05:51,480 --> 00:05:52,640 Speaker 3: At the Sheriff's office. 125 00:05:53,120 --> 00:05:56,080 Speaker 2: So can you any reaction from local officials on this. 126 00:05:56,320 --> 00:05:58,800 Speaker 4: Oh, nobody will contact me back either. And it's so 127 00:05:58,880 --> 00:06:01,640 Speaker 4: funny because that merit me. It's a public meeting. The 128 00:06:01,800 --> 00:06:05,320 Speaker 4: video is on YouTube. I doubt I recorded it. I 129 00:06:05,400 --> 00:06:07,560 Speaker 4: got the transcript off of YouTube because this is a 130 00:06:07,600 --> 00:06:10,280 Speaker 4: public meeting. And so at the end of it, you 131 00:06:10,360 --> 00:06:12,960 Speaker 4: see the people from the Sheriff's office. They're just sitting 132 00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:16,640 Speaker 4: there looking at this guy and they quickly abrupt and 133 00:06:16,800 --> 00:06:19,720 Speaker 4: the meeting. They have no feedback for him, and he's 134 00:06:19,760 --> 00:06:22,880 Speaker 4: basically saying, you know, I'm this is my as a 135 00:06:22,960 --> 00:06:26,040 Speaker 4: duty as a resident of this space. I am going 136 00:06:26,040 --> 00:06:29,720 Speaker 4: to file a formal complaint about this because this is awful. 137 00:06:30,040 --> 00:06:33,880 Speaker 4: This county has experienced so many accusations since twenty nineteen, 138 00:06:34,279 --> 00:06:35,840 Speaker 4: and so now that's just the latest. 139 00:06:36,320 --> 00:06:39,440 Speaker 1: Well, you can find both of these investigative articles at 140 00:06:39,560 --> 00:06:42,560 Speaker 1: WYBC dot com and John Att because you seem to 141 00:06:42,600 --> 00:06:44,800 Speaker 1: be getting a lot of your leads through social media. 142 00:06:44,920 --> 00:06:47,480 Speaker 2: Yes, tell everybody what those handles are. 143 00:06:47,560 --> 00:06:50,159 Speaker 4: Yeah, you can find me everywhere on social media. It's 144 00:06:50,360 --> 00:06:52,760 Speaker 4: just the John at Cruise. I am on Facebook, I 145 00:06:52,800 --> 00:06:56,960 Speaker 4: am on Instagram, I'm on TikTok, also on x. Please 146 00:06:57,040 --> 00:06:59,279 Speaker 4: be advised that my dms are very full right now. 147 00:06:59,320 --> 00:07:01,640 Speaker 3: I am trying my best to sift through of them. 148 00:07:01,720 --> 00:07:03,960 Speaker 4: But you know, the best news stories I'm getting is 149 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:06,640 Speaker 4: literally from the people of Central Indiana. 150 00:07:06,720 --> 00:07:07,839 Speaker 2: Yeah, thanks for the insight. 151 00:07:07,960 --> 00:07:10,440 Speaker 1: Yeah, you're listening to ninety three WYBC.