Ann Miller Kontz To Be Separate From Rest Of Prison Population

RALEIGH, N.C. — A judge recently agreed to move Ann Miller Kontz from the Wake County Jail to Women's Prison in Raleigh, so her attorneys can have better access to her.

Miller Kontz is accused of killing her husband, Eric Miller, by poisoning. When she arrives at Women's Prison, she will be processed.

"I'm responsible for meeting with her to let her know exactly what's going on," said Doris Sayles, assistant custody superintendent.

Miller Kontz will wear a gray uniform to show she is one of 29 safekeepers -- inmates who are not yet convicted. They are kept separate and are escorted wherever they go.

"They haven't been sentenced, so we do have to protect them from the regular population," Sayles said.

Initially, Miller Kontz will be housed in the segregation unit for up to 45 days.

"Because of her high profile, she will be housed in the segregation unit for merely observation. She will be evaluated by mental health (officials,)" she said.

Inmates stay in their cells 23 hours a day. There is a locker area where inmates can keep their personal effects, books and mail.

If all goes well, Miller Kontz will move to "Dorm H" to live with other safekeepers. There, she can go outside, to the dining hall and have two-hour weekly visits with family. Miller Kontz's attorneys can make appointments to meet with her as often as they need to.

Prison staff said Miller Kontz will be treated like any other inmate.

"I try to treat them all alike and as a human being as much as I possibly can," Sayles said.

There are nearly 1,200 inmates housed at Women's Prison, of which 2.5 percent of the population is made up of safekeepers. Kontz's attorneys are working on the transfer order and expect it to happen later in the week. Her trial is scheduled for January 2006.