By Ben Benton
Chattanooga Times Free Press
GERMANTOWN, Tenn. — A Germantown, Tenn., woman is charged with mailing cash and drugs to relatives in state prisons, including one in Bledsoe County, state officials said.
Kimberly W. Underwood, 50, is suspected to have mailed at least 5 grams of cocaine and “several hundred dollars” in cash to the Southeastern Tennessee State Regional Correctional Facility in Bledsoe County and the West Tennessee State Penitentiary in Lauderdale County.
Tennessee Department of Correction spokeswoman Dorinda Carter on Tuesday said Ms. Underwood is “related to and associated with several TDOC inmates.”
TDOC Internal Affairs agents gathered evidence to support the charges during a search of Ms. Underwood’s home on Cape Charles Cove in Germantown, she said.
Bledsoe and Lauderdale authorities said Tuesday that Ms. Underwood has not yet been turned over to them to be processed on the charges.
Ms. Underwood must travel to those counties for arraignment because the crimes were committed there, Ms. Carter said.
Bledsoe jail officials said Tuesday that Ms. Underwood faces four warrants charging her with introduction of contraband into a penal institution once she arrives.
Other could be charged as well, including inmates, Ms. Carter said.
“Charges are likely, both administrative and criminal,” she said. “They’ll be disciplined inside the institution as well as possibly facing criminal charges.”
TDOC hasn’t released the names of the inmates.
Ms. Carter said money and drugs are just some of the contraband officials try to keep out of Tennessee’s prisons.
“We have a hard time keeping contraband out like drugs, weapons, tobacco and cell phones,” she said. “It happens pretty frequently that somebody tries to bring in contraband when they come in for visitation. And then sometimes they mail it in.”
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