Equipment failure leads to internal jail investigation . . .
On May 26, the alleged perpetrator of the Noblesville West Middle School attack met with an attorney at the Hamilton County Juvenile Services Center Secure Detention facility.
For the safety of the attorney as well as security of the facility, the Corrections Officer, Stephanie Kingen, working in the facility’s Control Room, attempted to activate a camera in the visitation room but it did not initially operate. From her training, the officer knew that activating an intercom would also activate the camera for that specific intercom in the room.
Once the officer had the camera running and realized the conversation was audible, the officer immediately turned the volume down as low as the instrument allowed which prohibited the conversation from being overheard and understood.
Staff members reported the incident through a supervisor in the chain of command. The Prosecutor’s Office was immediately notified by Sheriff Mark Bowen.
No details or information beyond the fact that a jail officer overheard part of the conversation was shared with the Prosecuting Attorney, and the Prosecuting Attorney immediately contacted counsel for the juvenile in order to advise them of the incident.
Sheriff Bowen then provided further information regarding the incident directly to the juvenile’s counsel. By early June, an Internal Affairs investigation on the incident was completed by the Sheriff’s Department.
The investigation concluded there was nothing indicating the conversation was listened to intentionally or that any information was released outside the secure confines of the facility.
The officer was retrained in the job responsibilities of the Control Room and in the confidentiality of visits. The officer also received a three-day suspension.
The intercom system in the visitation area of the Juvenile Center was deactivated and the camera system repaired so the possibility no longer exists for a similar occurrence. Further, all employees were recommended to receive additional training in attorney/client confidentiality.
No further information is available as the investigation into the incident is complete and the Noblesville West Middle School incident is in the hands of the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office.