Four inmates treated for stomach issues

MANAGING EDITOR

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Four inmates from Roosevelt County Detention Center were transported to the hospital Monday night, but officials said the incident may not be related to detention officers finding contraband in a cell.

Jail Administrator Mark Gallegos confirmed Thursday that four inmates were transported to Roosevelt General Hospital after they began showing symptoms similar to those of a stomach virus.

Jail officials declined to release the names of the four inmates.

Gallegos said anytime inmates behave in an abnormal way, it is standard procedure for facility officers to perform a shake down and search all inmates and cells.

He said the facility immediately brought in the sheriff’s office with a drug-sniffing dog. He said the dog discovered a “brown, leafy substance,” which is being tested.

But, Gallegos said, the substance did not seem to be connected to the illness of the inmates, because all of the individuals transported to the hospital tested negative for drugs.

“When they came back, there was nothing found in their system to link them to the substance,” he said. “We are continuing an investigation as we speak.”

Gallegos said it is standard procedure to give pat downs to inmates booked into the facility, but by law, officers cannot strip search anyone coming into the facility unless they have reasonable cause.

“We do the best with our security searches and our pat downs,” Gallegos said, but not being able to strip search everyone does mean contraband can slip by at times.

That is the reason the new administration is doing regular walk-throughs and shake downs.

County Manager Amber Hamilton said the sheriff’s office has brought its dog into the facility five times in the last two months to perform drug searches.

“To me, these kinds of things happen, but what I’m excited about is seeing the immediate action taken on it,” she said.

Gallegos said where the found substance came from and what it is will not be known until the investigation is complete.

Editor's note: This story has been altered to more accurately clarify the detention center administrator's standing on the situation.