Seven people, including a former Chillicothe Correctional Institute employee, have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Columbus on charges of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
31-year-old James Barlage Jr. of Chillicothe is charged with conspiracy to distribute meth. Also indicted were 45-year-old Edward Bellman formerly of Miamisburg, 40-year-old Mario Evans, formerly of Dayton, 53-year-old Moses M. Stevens, formerly of Xenia, 50-year-old Jon Christopher Birt of Dayton, 47-year-old Jamie L. Naegele of Brookville and 32-year-old Anthony Scott Blankenship of Columbus.
Barlage was an employee of CCI in June and July of 2017. Evans, Bellman, and Stevens were inmates at the time.
Birt is accused of being a methamphetamine dealer in the Dayton area and would buy the drugs from his suppliers, where he and Naegele would arrange for the delivery of the methamphetamine to the prison.
Officials say Barlage received drugs from Birt for the purpose of redistributing within the prison.