LA jail inmates caught trying to spread coronavirus for early release
The news comes weeks after hundreds of inmates were released by Los Angeles County to lower the jail population and help stem the spread of the novel coronavirus.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFPrison cell block(photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Multiple inmates at a jail in Los Angeles have been trying to spread the coronavirus among one another hoping to secure an early release, according to Sheriff Alex Villanueva, the Washington Times reported.The news comes weeks after hundreds of inmates were released by Los Angeles County to lower the jail population and help stem the spread of the novel coronavirus.According to Villanueva, surveillance at the North County Correctional Facility caught inmates drinking from the same cup, which was filled with hot water. The sheriff explained that this was an attempt to raise their oral temperatures before a temperature check, causing the thermometers to register a fever.Within a week of the incident captured on surveillance, 21 inmates tested positive for COVID-19, the Washington Times reported.Another incident caught on surveillance video in the same jail saw inmates passing around a mask and sniffing it, which led to nine inmates catching the coronavirus, according to assistant sheriff of custody operations Bruce Chase.The sheriff's department said it is considering prosecuting inmates who intentionally spread the coronavirus in the jail.“It is very disturbing to think that people would do this to themselves deliberately in an attempt to force our hand to release more people from custody,” Villanueva said.
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