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SALT LAKE CITY — Five people were charged Tuesday in what investigators say was a plot to smuggle drugs into the Central Utah Correctional Facility in Gunnison using fast food.
Talon Hamann, 24, Kelcy Roberts, 28, Patrick Sullivan, 32, Colton Olsen, 23, and Brian Patrick Olsen, 55, are each charged in Sanpete County's 6th District Court with attempted drug distribution in a prison. Brian Olsen received an additional charge of drug possession, a third degree felony.
All are from Gunnison except Brian Olsen, who is from Murray.
Sanpete County Attorney Kevin Daniels said the investigation began when prison officials received information of a plan to smuggle drugs.
Investigators monitored mail and phone conversations coming from the prison from July 11 through July 26. During that time, inmate Colton Olsen gave Brian Olsen, who had paroled out of prison, instructions on how to drop off drugs that would be picked up, according to several search warrants served by the Sanpete County Sheriff's Office.
"Travel until you see the Gunnison Valley High School where you will turn left again, traveling past the high school. You will travel down the paved road until you see a turnoff on the right with the sign White Hills Sanitation located in Mayfield, Utah. You will travel, still down a paved road until you get to the main gate with a smaller gate to the left of it. Count out 10 or 11 fence posts and you will find a small bush. Under this bush, bury the package in a fast-food bag and place a rock over it," part of one message states, according to the warrants.
Daniels said the plan was that the drugs would then be picked up by inmates who were able to walk outside the prison gates while on work crews.
But investigators went to the site first "and found a package buried underneath a rock with a stick next to it. A Wienerschnitzel bag was located which contained two packages of an unknown substance and a mustard package," the warrants state.
The unknown substance tested positive for methamphetamine, according to authorities. Investigators swapped out the drugs with a decoy and left the bag for the inmates to pick up, Daniels said.
The county attorney said for inmates to risk the type of enhanced penalties many of them will now face, it shows how big of a problem drug addiction is.
Correction: An earlier version of this story listed all of the defendants currently housed at the Central Utah Correctional facility as having the middle name "Corwin" based on incorrect charging documents filed in 6th District Court. Their correct names are: Talon Hamann, Kelcy Roberts, Patrick Sullivan and Colton Olsen.
