x
Breaking News
More () »

Investigator charged with passing contraband to accused corrections officer killer

The suspect was an investigator for the Georgia Public Defenders Council

JACKSON, Ga. — An Atlanta woman is charged with passing contraband to murder suspect Ricky DuBose inside a state prison.

Lily Engleman, an investigator with the state Public Defenders Council, was arrested Wednesday in Butts County.

Cheryl Karounos, a spokeswoman for the council, says Engleman is now suspended.

According to an arrest warrant, Engleman passed "two small unknown items" to DuBose inside the state prison in Jackson on Sept. 6.

DuBose picked the two items up from the floor and hid them in his sock, the warrant says.

The arrest warrant doesn't describe the items that Engleman allegedly passed along to DuBose. The state Department of Corrections did not respond to the question by email.

DuBose is one of two Georgia prison inmates accused of killing two corrections officers aboard a prison bus in June 2017.

He and Donnie Rowe are still awaiting trial and may face the death penalty.

Karounos said Engleman helps investigate death-penalty cases. But she declined further comment on the charges.

The Georgia Department of Corrections statement says: 

"Lily Engleman was arrested yesterday by the GDC’s Office of Professional Standards Investigators outside the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison (GDCP) Special Management Unit (SMU) in Jackson, GA.  Engleman will be charged with introducing contraband inside the guard line without permission from the Warden.  The arrest stems from an ongoing investigation which began after it was discovered that visitor Engleman was passing illegal contraband to inmate Ricky Dubose during a visit at the SMU.

 "The GDC closely monitors all interactions between offenders and outside visitors, and this case was no different.  We applaud our diligent staff in their commitment to ensuring the safe and secure operations of our facilities, and Investigators with our Office of Professional Standards for making the arrest.

 "The Butts County Sheriff’s Office transported Engleman to the Butts County Jail for booking and processing."

Editor's Note: The video in this story is from 2018 on the one-year anniversary of the killings.

RELATED TO THE DUBOSE/ROWE CASE

Judge throws out eight inmates' lawsuits over prison-bus killings

Trial delayed for accused killer of Georgia prison guards

STAY ALERT | Download our FREE app now to receive breaking news and weather alerts. You can find the app on the Apple Store and Google Play.

STAY UPDATEDClick here to subscribe to our Midday Minute newsletter and receive the latest headlines and information in your inbox every day.

Have a news tip? Email news@13wmaz.com, or visit our Facebook page.

Before You Leave, Check This Out