7 Louisiana prison employees arrested in contraband probe

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Seven employees at the Louisiana State Penitentiary have resigned following a criminal investigation into contraband smuggling and inappropriate relationships with inmates.

The Department Corrections said Friday that four of the employees have been arrested on charges of felony malfeasance in office since the investigation started March 8. The agency said the other three employees are expected to face charges.

Those arrested include 45-year-old Denise Prevot of Mansura. She is accused of having sex with an inmate.

Forty-seven-year-old Deidra Whittaker of St. Francisville and 35-year-old Alexis McGrow of Clayton are among five other workers accused of having an inappropriate relationship with an inmate. Three of them have not been arrested.

Twenty-one-year-old Myron Cage of Ferriday is accused with smuggling contraband into prison.