Coronavirus tests ordered for ‘high-risk’ prisoners at Pahrump facility
A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the Nevada Southern Detention Center in Pahrump to test inmates housed in a “high-risk” unit for the coronavirus.
The order from U.S. Magistrate Judge Brenda Weksler came less than two weeks after 29-year-old Brandon Patton, who was being held at the privately run federal detention center while awaiting sentencing, died of the virus. He was the first known inmate held in Nevada to die of COVID-19.
In court on Tuesday, Weksler said she was ordering inmates housed in the high-risk unit, which currently has 14 people, to be tested in order to gather more information in the case of another inmate, Freddie Prentiss. Prentiss, who lives in the unit, has filed a motion to be released from the facility due to the pandemic.
Officials with the detention center, which is run by CoreCivic, said in court that as of Tuesday there are 38 inmates in the facility who have tested positive for the virus.
It was unclear how many people are currently in custody at the facility, which also houses U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees. CoreCivic, the U.S. Marshals Service and ICE did not immediately respond to request for comment. ... See more
During a court hearing Tuesday, Nevada Southern Detention Center officials said there are 38 inmates at the federal facility in Pahrump who have tested positive for the coronavirus. ... See more
