Stacey the prison poodle

Inmate William Walker said his sexual affair with a former prison substance abuse counselor involved many gifts from the outside world: cologne, restaurant meals – and even a pet dog.

A North Carolina prosecutor sounded dumbstruck when Walker described how Delia Durham, the counselor, regularly smuggled a poodle named Stacey into Wayne Correctional Center near Goldsboro. The following is an excerpt from a court deposition about a note that Durham sent to Walker:

Inmate William Walker: It says, “Stacey sends her love.”

N.C. Assistant Attorney Judi Harrison: Yeah. What does that mean?

WW: That was the--that was the dog that she would bring to Goldsboro. …

JH: D-o-g?

WW: Yeah. A dog. It was a toy poodle. …

JH: How did she bring it to – how’d she bring a dog to Goldsboro?

WW: I got--the prison there is lax. Once they know you, it’s like a big family down there. She just brung the dog up in there. Ain’t nobody like – nobody say nothing. …

JH: It was a real dog, barking, walking around dog?

WW: Yeah. He peed on me and everything.

JH: Peed on you? Well, that's a real dog.

This story was originally published May 31, 2017 at 4:37 PM with the headline "Stacey the prison poodle."