ANDERSON — For the first time since the coronavirus pandemic hit in March, the Madison County Jail is reporting positive cases.
Sheriff Scott Mellinger on Thursday said that 14 offenders being housed at the jail have tested positive and an additional 12 offenders will be tested Friday.
Back in April, the Indiana State Department of Health strike team tested 14 offenders at the jail but there were no positive results.
Mellinger said a male offender complained of coronavirus symptoms and tested positive.
“Right before he complained of symptoms, he was moved from one cellblock to another,” he said. “We have quarantined the two cellblocks.”
Mellinger said it’s impossible to stop all movement in the jail because of the classification system used to house inmates.
“His infection has spread to the cellblocks,” he said.
Mellinger has asked the judges to consider releasing some of the infected offenders from the jail.
“I’m not a proponent of releasing people just because they have tested positive,” he said. “But I’m asking the judges to consider releasing those offenders that are not violent offenders.”
Mellinger said because of the coronavirus the remaining cellblocks are more crowded.
All new offenders brought to the jail are quarantined for a minimum of seven days and, if they have no coronavirus symptoms, are moved if space is available, he said.
“There’s a good chance we will go back to quarantining new offenders for 14 days,” Mellinger said.
“I was pretty sure this would happen,” he said. “My fear is that it would spread the wildfire.”
Mellinger said nine of the 21 cellblocks at the jail are being used to quarantine offenders.
He said inmates are being moved from one cellblock to another and all of the staff are mandated to wear masks.
All the correctional officers have their temperatures checked when reporting for work.
Stephenie Grimes, administrator with the Madison County Health Department, said Mellinger is doing everything possible to prevent the coronavirus from entering the facility.
Grimes said, in addition to the 14 offenders at the jail, there are 12 people in the Community Corrections complex who have tested positive.
According to the Indiana Department of Correction on Thursday, there were no inmates at the two prison facilities in Madison County that have tested positive for the virus.
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