A Green Hill School employee accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a former Green Hill inmate and providing the inmate with contraband has been arrested, the Washington state Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) confirmed Wednesday.
A second Green Hill School employee is also currently under investigation for suspected custodial misconduct, according to Lewis County Superior Court documents. That staff member had not been arrested or charged as of Thursday afternoon.
The employee who has been arrested, identified in Lewis County Jail and Lewis County Superior Court records as Angel M. Misner, 32, of Ethel, was fired from Green Hill School in Chehalis last week, according to DCYF.
The incident was reported to Child Protective Services and local police “as part of DCYF’s routine procedure,” on July 19, according to court records and a DCYF news release.
Misner is accused of having phone conversations with one of the 43 adult inmates who were transferred to state Department of Corrections (DOC) custody last week in an effort to reduce overcrowding, according to court documents. A Thurston County Superior Court judge ordered Friday, July 19, that those inmates must be returned to the facility within two weeks.
The former Green Hill inmate was in custody at a DOC facility in Shelton when the phone calls were discovered, according to court documents.
In recorded phone conversations, Misner and the adult inmate allegedly spoke “regarding wedding plans … and having contraband in a water bottle with a false bottom in his belongings prior to being sent to DOC,” according to court documents.
They also discussed Misner performing a sex act, according to the documents.
A security search of the inmate’s property yielded a water bottle containing a cellphone, charging cable, two small screwdrivers, a $1 bill and “a blue colored note paper folded up with something inside.”
Green Hill School staff later found internal video footage that reportedly shows Misner kissing the inmate inside the facility before the inmate was transferred. Investigators also reportedly found photos and text messages that were sent via the DOC’s telephone app.
Investigators have also found “evidence that shows Misner is providing financial support to (the inmate” while he is at DOC, and “even that (the inmate) has access to Misner’s bank account,” according to court documents.
As part of the investigation, Misner was asked to return to the Green Hill campus in Chehalis, “which led to their arrest on campus today,” DCYF said in a news release on Wednesday, July 24.
Misner “believed she still worked there” at the time, according to court documents.
She was escorted off of the campus property and taken into custody when she arrived on Wednesday. After a Chehalis Police Department detective presented her with the evidence he had collected, Misner allegedly admitted to having sexual contact with the inmate. She reportedly “acted shocked but did not say much more,” according to court documents.
Jail records indicate Misner was booked into the Lewis County Jail at 10:42 a.m. on Wednesday, July 24.
Shortly after her arrest, Misner allegedly asked the detective for help accessing several phone numbers from her phone. One of those numbers belonged to the other Green Hill staff member who is currently under investigation.
The detective reportedly told Misner that the other employee was under investigation and said “if she speaks to (the employee) about this case, it could be considered witness tampering,” according to court documents.
The next day, Thursday, July 25, Lewis County Jail staff informed the Chehalis Police Department that Misner had made at least four phone calls that morning to the other employee being investigated. During the calls, which were recorded, Misner and the other employee reportedly spoke about the adult inmate, spoke about Misner’s case and commented on the level of publicity she expected the case to get. An unidentified male reportedly joined in on the call from the other employee’s end of the line, and the three of them were reportedly recorded making light of the case, with the male asking Misner “is your mugshot hot?” and Misner allegedly saying, “between the two of us, I wonder who is going to have more publicity” before laughing, according to court documents.
Misner was charged Thursday, July 25, in Lewis County Superior Court with one count each of first-degree custodial misconduct, second-degree custodial misconduct and witness tampering.
Her bail is set at $500,000.
“The state sees this case as a clear danger to the community,” Deputy Prosecutor Will Halstead said of Misner’s case during a preliminary hearing on Thursday, where he asked Judge Joely Yeager to set the high bail.
Defense attorney Rachael Tiller had asked Yeager to lower Misner’s bail, citing her lack of criminal history and current lack of income.
“I understand the community safety concern, but the court’s bigger concern is the fact that I fear she will interfere with the administration of justice,” Yeager said, referring to the recorded phone calls from the Lewis County Jail. “That gives me a lot of concern that this is not being taken seriously (and) that witnesses are going to continue to be tampered with.”
Arraignment is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 8.
“We want to thank our DCYF staff for their swift action and law enforcement for their ongoing efforts to protect the young people in our care,” DCYF said in a prepared statement on Wednesday. “Through diligent intelligence gathering and investigation with partners in multiple agencies, Green Hill School staff were able to secure information and evidence leading to the termination and arrest of a former employee.”
As of Thursday, Misner was the third Green Hill School employee to be fired and arrested this year for alleged offenses at the Chehalis facility.
Michelle M. Goodman, 30, of Centralia was initially charged on March 12 with one count each of prison riot, abuse of office and fourth-degree conspiracy to commit assault. Amended charges were filed on April 19 after the court obtained more information about the injuries the victim sustained in the attack, according to court documents.
She was arrested March 11 and was released on $20,000 unsecured bail the next day. Her trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 28.
Aaron D. Snideman, 42, of Centralia, was arrested on Jan. 19 for allegedly bringing marijuana into the facility earlier that month. He has since pleaded not guilty to a possession of a controlled substance in a correctional facility by a non-prisoner charge and is out of custody on $5,000 bail. His case is scheduled to go to trial on Aug. 26.
