Denise Prell (Photo provided)

PLATTSBURGH — Former Clinton Correctional Facility employee Denise Prell has pleaded guilty to a multiple-count indictment against her for having an inappropriate relationship with a inmate.

Visibly nervous, the Schuyler Falls woman stood before Clinton County Court Judge William Favreau on Tuesday and, one by one, admitted guilt to one count of second-degree promoting prison contraband, one of third-degree sexual abuse and 23 counts of official misconduct.

All three charges are misdemeanors.

“It was horrible,” Prell said afterward, referring to hearing each of the 25 counts against her read into the court record.

“I’m guilty, but it’s not all black and white.”

Prell’s attorney, Justin Herzog, said he believes pleading guilty was the best option for his client.

“She’s owning up to her actions, and that lends itself to showing her remorse,” he said.

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Felony reduced

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In July, Herzog won a challenge to the most serious charge against his client, first-degree promoting prison contraband, a felony.

Prell had been accused of giving an inmate a $100 bill, which under the felony designation made it “dangerous prison contraband.”

Favreau, in reducing the charge to second-degree promoting prison contraband, said no evidence had been presented that indicated that amount of money could have undermined the safety or security of the facility and therefore justify it remaining a felony.

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Intimate kiss

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It has been nearly a year since Prell, then 38, was arrested and charged with crimes surrounding a relationship she had with an inmate while she was employed at Clinton Correctional Facility as a provisional tailor shop supervisor.

A correction officer at the Dannemora prison had reported observations of her behavior, and a joint investigation was launched by the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, state police, the state inspector general’s office and the Clinton County district attorney’s office.

The sexual abuse charge was related to an intimate kiss between Prell and the prisoner; inmates cannot legally consent to sexual contact with prison employees.

The inmate, serving time for first-degree manslaughter, was transferred to Elmira Correctional Facility.

In December, Prell turned down a plea agreement that would have had her admit guilt to the felony charge.

Herzog said then that he had seen no evidence to support that charge.

Prell was indicted by a Clinton County grand jury in March on the same accusations against her made upon her arrest, the felony contraband charge, third-degree sexual abuse and the 23 counts of official misconduct.

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Avoided trial

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In late June, it seemed the next step would be a jury trial. But then, in July, the judge ruled on the felony charge.

Herzog doesn’t believe Prell would have come through the trial victorious.

“Quite frankly, I don’t think we could have beat 21 of those counts,” he said.

“The hope is that by her cooperating, which she has the entire time, this will reflect positively on her at sentencing,” he said.

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On the heels of Mitchell

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Prell’s case has attracted a great deal of attention because not quite two years before her arrest, a tailor shop supervisor at the same prison was sentenced for her own inappropriate interactions with inmates.

Joyce Mitchell, then 51, aided Richard Matt and David Sweat, both serving time for murder, in an escape that made news around the world.

She was sentenced to two-and-a-third to seven years in prison for first-degree promoting prison contraband, a felony, and a concurrent jail term of a year for fourth-degree criminal facilitation.

Mitchell, incarcerated at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women, was turned down for parole last October and will have another opportunity to have her sentence shortened next June.

If she serves her entire sentence, she will be released June 8, 2022.

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“Hard to move on”

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In Prell’s case on Tuesday, Favreau ordered a pre-sentencing investigation to be completed by the probation department by Oct. 26.

A conference is scheduled for Oct. 30 to discuss sentencing recommendations.

Prell could face up to a maximum of two years in county jail and $24,500 in fines.

Sentencing is scheduled for 11 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 13.

It’s been a lengthy process, Prell acknowledged.

“It’s hard to move on when you’re waiting.”

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Press-Republican Editor Suzanne Moore contributed to this report.