Perjury charge for 'gf' who denied putting money on his jail account

ALLEN COUNTY, Ind. ---Loyalty to your man is one thing.

Lying to protect him and yourself is another.

Now a Fort Wayne woman has been charged with committing perjury while her boyfriend, Brian K. Easterly, was at the Allen County Jail.

Brian Easterly (no photo ws available for Palmer)

The county issued a warrant this week for Nalashia Palmer,  claiming  she lied on April 11 during a deposition with the Allen County Prosecutor’s office, according to a probable cause affidavit written by Allen County Detective J. Bleeke.

Palmer was asked “if she placed any money on the jail account of Brian Easterly since he was arrested in these cases,” and Palmer said “No.”

However, jail call records indicate that Palmer, 34, spoke to Easterly 2,505 times between September 17, 2023 and April 11.

And in fact, Palmer put money on his jail account 184 times during the same time frame. 

Jail surveillance camera footage shows her in person in the lobby kiosk and on the web portal. On the web portal, her name and Easterly’s are recorded, court documents say.

Palmer used a false name, Ashley Easterly, to communicate with Easterly on jail tablet messaging and in jail calls, court documents show. Easterly called Palmer, “Woo,” a verified alias for her.

The deposition started with Palmer’s denial that she had any recollection of being a passenger when Easterly crashed his car Sept. 27, 2020 going more than 100 miles per hour on West Jefferson Boulevard around 1 a.m.

His 2016 gray Dodge Charger bounced off a guardrail and went back on the road at Catalpa Street, resulting in a crash that sent five people to the hospital. Police say he was drunk at the time with a BAC of .189%, more than twice the legal limit of .08%.

This week her perjury charge syncs with the scheduling of Easterly’s 3-day jury trial that is to begin Tuesday in Allen Superior Court. However, there are several trials scheduled for the same week so it's not a certainty the trial will take place.

The scheduled trial dates to September 2023. He is charged with felony battery with bodily injury to a police officer, misdemeanor resisting law enforcement and an extra charge for being a habitual offender.

Easterly, 35, went to prison on a handgun charge and has an out date of June 2027. The trial for the car crash causing serious bodily injury is scheduled for trial starting Dec. 2.

Palmer's perjury charge is a level 6 felony which carries a sentence of between six months and 2.5 years.