Former Pottawatomie County Inmate In Custody For Trying To Drop Contraband

The Pottawatomie County Sheriff's Office captured one of three suspects trying to drop contraband over a prison fence Sunday.

Mary Albicker was taken into custody in Shawnee. On Sunday, she and two others had allegedly planned to throw 11 bags of contraband over the prison fence at the Mabel Bassett Correctional Center in McLoud.

“It's not the first time it's happened around here,” said a man living in the neighborhood just south of the prison. He didn't want to be identified but his watchful eye helped detectives identify Albicker.

“They usually do get away with it unfortunately,” he said.

However, this time they didn’t. He saw Albicker being dropped off near his home holding a package and heading toward the prison grounds. He called the prison and police.

“I live back here,” he said. “I don't want stuff like that going on, there's kids back in here, I don't want that kind of activity around here so that's why I try to do what I can.”

Pottawatomie County Undersheriff J.T. Palmer said once the officers spotted the suspects they dropped the bags of contraband and took off.

“There could be narcotics and cell phones inside of the bags,” he said. “I guess that's the going price in prison, somebody's going to be very disappointed today their shipment didn't get to them.”

A prison guard recognized Albicker before the suspects ran into the woods. She had just been released from the prison.

The Pottawatomie county sheriff's office set up about a mile perimeter around the prison.

Several nearby law enforcement agencies helped in the search, including McLoud Police, OKC Police, Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office and Kickapoo and Pottawatomie Tribal units. Deputies searched with K-9's and hours later they caught up with Albicker in Shawnee. The two others are still on the run.

“We'll take these back and be very careful cutting them open and see what's in them and also see if we can find fingerprints on any of the packages,” said Undersheriff Palmer.

Albicker is currently on probation after serving time for armed robbery. She will now face felony charges for trying to drop contraband into the prison.

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