An inmate from the Westville Correctional Facility was scheduled to be housed in the Marshall County Jail in response to an active warrant, but that transfer was halted due to COVID-19 concerns.
The Westville Correctional Facility is currently a COVID-19 hotspot with 123 positive cases and one death, as of Tuesday, April 21. Marshall County Health Administrator Ashley Garcia told the Marshall County Commissioners on Monday that she was notified of the transfer on Friday, April 17 and worked quickly to intercept that action.
“We had to make some quick moves, lots of phone calls and fast decisions, but we got that warrant thrown out as soon as we could because we can’t have that coming in,” stated Garcia.
Commission President Kevin Overmyer added that a recent visit to the jail found the lack of masks being worn by administrative employees. He commented that an employee’s wife was asked to quarantine at home and the employee did not have a mask on when Overymer was there with Health Department officials.
The reason for the visit was a concern about negative air pressure readings in medical cells at the jail. The system malfunctioned and was quickly repaired. Jail Maintenance Director John Greer will be purchasing a new computer to collect the negative air pressure reading on those units every day which will be kept for two or three years.
