Correctional Facility Worker Accused of Taking Cash to Smuggle Marijuana into Westville Prison
A kitchen supervisor at the Westville Correctional Facility has been charged after investigators allege she accepted money in exchange for smuggling contraband into the prison.
According to court documents, charges were filed September 2, 2025, against Jessica T. Chalupa, 34, of Merrillville. Prosecutors allege that on August 29, 2025, Chalupa, while employed as an Aramark kitchen supervisor at the facility, agreed to accept U.S. currency to bring marijuana into the prison .
Investigators stated the case began with an anonymous tip on August 28, 2025, which led to suspicions that Chalupa was working with an incarcerated individual to traffic contraband. Screenshots of Cash App transactions were reviewed, and investigators alleged they showed Chalupa received payments through several accounts:
• 17 transactions from one account totaling $6,500
• 9 transactions from another account totaling $1,320
• 11 transactions from a third account totaling $2,905
In total, investigators reported $10,725 in combined transactions connected to Chalupa’s account .
On August 29, investigators conducted an interview with Chalupa at the facility. She initially denied having a Cash App account and denied receiving payment to deliver contraband. When pressed further, she claimed the money was for gas and food, according to the affidavit. Chalupa consented to searches of her cell phones and her 2021 Nissan Altima. One device revealed communications only with her husband, while the other contained photos of a hand with painted nails holding wads of cash, as well as call records linked to an unauthorized phone believed to be in the inmate’s possession .
Following the search, correctional police officers read Chalupa her Miranda rights. She invoked her right to remain silent and was taken into custody and transported to the LaPorte County Jail .
Charges filed September 2, 2025:
• Level 5 Felony – Bribery (I.C. 35-44.1-1-2)
• Class A Misdemeanor – Trafficking with an Inmate (I.C. 35-44.1-3-5)
