response teams used explosives

Elliott and another staff member took Strickler into a prison bathroom. As Elliott was notifying other staff members what was going on, she said she noticed Strickler standing over one of the toilets. “It struck me as odd. That’s not the way a woman goes to the toilet, that’s the way a man goes to the toilet,” Elliott said. Elliott said she noticed Strickler grab something out her pants and attempt to flush it down the toilet. However, before the item could be flushed, Elliott came up behind Strickler and grabbed the item. The item, which was wrapped in tissue, possibly toilet paper, turned out to be a flip cellphone taped in black duct tape to a phone charger. Strickler was interviewed by Elliott and Thomas Francum, an internal affairs investigator for the DOC. According to Elliott, Strickler admitted she was smuggling the phone for an inmate, but would not reveal the inmate’s identity unless she was released. Defense attorney Brent Welke asked Elliott why she didn’t request a search warrant before she conducted her investigation.