A MS Coast prisoner with health problems asked to be released. Now, he has COVID-19.
A prisoner at the Harrison County jail who appealed for compassionate release because of COVID-19 has tested positive for the virus.
Gerald Wayne Jones, 64, is a federal prisoner who had been jailed on a drug trafficking charge since November.
Gulfport attorney Jim Davis is asking a federal judge to immediately release Jones on bond and any other condition acceptable to the courts so his family can ensure he receives proper medical care.
The family learned of the diagnosis on Saturday.
By Tuesday, U.S. Marshals and an employee in the warden’s office at the Harrison County jail had confirmed the diagnosis for Davis.
Harrison County Sheriff Troy Peterson said Davis had to be mistaken about a jail employee confirming Jones condition because HIPAA laws prevent the release of that information.
But Davis said a jail employee did confirm the information despite Peterson’s claims.
“Well, they did at least acknowledge that he had it,” Davis said, but the employee wouldn’t say how many inmates had the virus or what kind of treatment his client was receiving.
“I got the, ‘Oh, I can’t tell you,’” Davis said. “They wouldn’t tell me anything other than my client had it and that’s after I called. They are being very ‘shut-mouth’ about it. I just don’t know if these jails are shooting straight with us about how many of these prisoners have it.”
Peterson said he has been transparent about the number of coronavirus cases among Harrison County inmates.
On Wednesday, the jail had six inmates with the virus, down from 10 cases about a month and half ago. Jones, the sheriff said, was in the jail’s medical facility receiving treatment.
“We have taken more precautions in our jail than anywhere in the state of Mississippi,” Peterson said. “Our numbers are less than anybody. The jail staff is working diligently to ensure that.”
Peterson said prisoners are receiving proper medical care and being quarantined away from other inmates to prevent any further spread of the virus. None of the prisoners have required hospitalization.
Davis intends to fight once again to have Jones released on bond because he has underlying conditions along with the virus.
Compassionate release
In April , Davis asked a federal judge to release Jones on bond because he was more susceptible to catching the new coronavirus due to his age and underlying health conditions.
Jones suffers from hypertension and diabetes. In addition, Davis said, he needs prostate surgery and another procedure to repair a hernia.
Then U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert H. Walker denied the initial request.
Davis said he is hoping his second appeal for Jones release will be approved. He is asking for Jones to be placed in a relative’s custody in Alabama so they can take Jones to a hospital or healthcare facility to see if needs additional treatment.
An Alabama native
Federal prosecutors have fought attempts to have Jones released under any condition.
After Davis first appealed to the courts for his release on compassionate grounds, prosecutors rejected the idea, saying that Jones refused to even provide a home address to a probation officer when he was arrested.
In fact, the only record they have on Jones, court papers said, is what they found from his history of domestic violence arrests in Mobile, Alabama.
In addition, prosecutors pointed that Jones had never mentioned any health problems to staff at the jail until some time after the World Health Organization’s March 11 classification of COVID-19 as a global pandemic.
At the time (in April), Harrison County had no positive cases of the virus among inmates, and prosecutors said even if they did, the Harrison County jail already had a plan in place to quarantine and treat prisoners with the virus.
The jail has a medical facility on site, they pointed out, and medical professionals there to properly treat any inmate with the virus.
Since the first case of coronavirus was reported in Mississippi in March, the largest coronavirus outbreak at a lockup in the state is so far at the George County Regional Correctional Facility in Lucedale.
The George County jail had 233 inmates test positive for the virus along with additional cases among corrections officers and other staff.
Since then, COVID-19 cases have been reported at two other South Mississippi prisons.
According to the Mississippi Department of Corrections, 6 prisoners have tested positive for the virus at the Stone County Regional Correctional Facility in Wiggins and 1 case has been reported at the South Mississippi Correctional Institution in Leakesville.
This story was originally published August 27, 2020 at 3:45 PM.
