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Former detention officer expected to reach plea agreement

ELKHORN — A plea agreement is expected in the criminal case of a former Walworth County correctional officer accused of having a relationship with an inmate and illegally passing him a greeting card.

Ellen L. Madl, 49, of 616 N. Wisconsin St., Elkhorn, is in plea negotiations with the state to resolve the felony charge of delivering illegal articles to an inmate, defense attorney Christopher Kuehn said Wednesday in Walworth County Court.

Madl was bound over for trial Wednesday after waiving her right to a preliminary hearing.

She then pleaded not guilty.

Madl resigned July 1 before the criminal charge was filed, Sheriff David Graves said after Madl’s arrest.

Correctional officers are not allowed to have relationships with inmates, according to the jail’s policy.

Correctional officers on June 16 searched the Huber dorm cell of Thomas Alan Berndt, 24, Genoa City, and found a greeting card that had not been properly mailed to the jail, according to the criminal complaint.

Two inmates told investigators that Berndt was in a relationship with Madl, according to the criminal complaint.

The relationship began after Berndt was released from jail a previous time, according to the criminal complaint.

Madl admitted to investigators that she gave Berndt the card, according to the criminal complaint, and she admitted that it was wrong.

The jail’s handbook states inmates cannot receive mail that is not properly mailed into the jail.

Madl told investigators she broke the rule because she didn’t want anyone to find out, according to the criminal complaint.

Berndt was serving a six-month jail sentence after his probation was revoked on a June 2007 conviction for misdemeanor battery, according to court records.

Madl remains free on a signature bond. If convicted, she faces up to three years and six months in prison and a $10,000 fine.

She is expected in court next on Wednesday, Oct. 8.