(Courtesy photo: Sheriff Botie Hillhouse.)
A jailer at the Henderson County Justice Center has tested positive for COVID-19, according to Sheriff Botie Hillhouse.
Hillhouse said he learned of the test result Tuesday. (Listen to the complete interview above.)
The jailer is sick, but doing well, Hillhouse said. The impact, however, has gone beyond that one employee.
“We sent another 12 employees home for quarantine because they had contact with that jailer,” he said.
That represents nearly an entire shift in the jail. The other jail employees, who work 12 hours a day, will now have to work 14 days straight.
“They were all willing to come to work and help out,” Hillhouse said. “We just have to do our best to keep them healthy.”
The sheriff said the jailer was at the booking desk, so didn’t have much contact with the inmates back in the jail.
“So we’re blessed there,” he said, “but we have to take it very seriously.”
The Justice Center is still closed to the public and inmates clean the building 18 hours a day. In addition, court hearings are being conducted via Zoom.
As a precaution, Hillhouse said he is now going to begin quarantining new inmates for 14 days before moving them to the main jail.
Also …
The sheriff spoke about a shooting incident last Friday that left one many hospitalized and facing charges. You can hear about that in the interview above.
===
Our Sponsors
This site is free thanks to Athens Screen Printing, HP Overhead Door Company, Speedy Tech Repair, and Tinsley Law & Title. Please say thank you by visiting their Facebook page.
Share this post