Federal Inmate Sentenced for Possession of a Weapon

INDIANAPOLIS—Alvin Bear Heels, Jr., 35, an inmate at FCC- Terre Haute, was sentenced to 24 months in prison today by U.S. District Judge Larry J. McKinney following his guilty plea to possession of contraband, in this case, a metal “shank.” This case was the result of a joint investigation by the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

At approximately 8:45 a.m. on September 3, 2009, inmate Bear Heels was unable to pass through a metal detector without setting off the alarm. Correctional officers had Bear Heels remove all items from his pocket, but he was still unable to pass through the detector without sounding the alarm. The officer then directed Bear Heels to remove his shoes, where the officers found a steel rod, approximately seven inches long and sharpened to a point, in Bear Heels’ right shoe. On September 11, 2009, Bear Heels was interviewed by the FBI and admitted to possessing what he described as “a metal shank.. little dagger.”

According to Assistant U.S. Attorney James M. Warden, who prosecuted the case for the government, Judge McKinney also imposed three years’ supervised release following Bear Heels’ release from prison.