Coronavirus Face Mask Helps Inmate Escape From Jail
The tools that can prevent one from getting sick are now also being used for criminal activity.
By Jessie Schiewe
It took U.S. prisons and jails a few weeks to catch up with the general population in terms of contracting coronavirus cases.
With their small spaces and long lists of contraband, social distancing as well as providing hygienic supplies have proved to be hurdles for many correctional facilities. For instance, due to its alcohol content, hand sanitizer cannot be used by inmates.
As a result, by April 24th, the virus had spread to more than 9,400 prisoners across the U.S., according to a report by the nonpartisan news organization, The Marshall Project.
One of the hardest — and earliest — hit prisons has been the Cook County Jail in Chicago, Illinois.
What started with two sick inmates on March 23rd — who were promptly moved to isolation cells after testing positive for coronavirus — has since escalated into the hundreds. By early April, the New York Times had dubbed the sprawling, 96-acre facility on Chicago’s southwest side to be a “top hot spot” for the disease.
Granted, measures have been made to quell the spread of coronavirus within the walls of Cook County Jail.
Emergency motions were filed with the state attorney’s office in mid-March to expedite the release of the prison’s “low-risk” inmates, including those who are elderly, pregnant, suffering with health problems, or serving nonviolent offenses.
According to some estimates, as many as 2,000 prisoners at the jail could be qualified as “low-risk,” but the process of granting expedited releases is a laborious, slow-moving task. By the end of March, only about 100 prisoners were granted leave from Cook County Jail, including the infamous airplane stowaway, Marilyn Hartman.
“ ‘Serial Stowaway’ Marilyn Hartman Gets Early Jail Release Because of Coronavirus Pandemic”
Since then, an off-site quarantine facility for infected patients has been set up on prison grounds, with beds for 500 patients. Certain hygienic supplies have also been given to prisoners.
But these efforts have so far proven no match for coronavirus. By the first week of May, more than 500 prisoners and more than 300 correctional officers tested positive for the disease, according to Chicago radio station WBEZ. Seven people have also died: six inmates and one guard.
And now, it seems the tools used to keep inmates safe from the virus are backfiring as well. Case in point: On Tuesday, April 14th, bars of soap supplied to prisoners for hand-washing purposes were turned into a weapon by inmates trying to escape.
At around 3:40 a.m., a guard returning from getting a cup of water was grabbed from behind and dragged into the cell of an inmate. Using a sock filled with bars of soap that was wrapped around his wrist, the inmate attacked the guard who was eventually choked unconscious, reported the Chicago Sun Times.
The guard’s keys were stolen and handed to another inmate in a locked cell, who freed himself, and then began freeing others. Two more guards were attacked during the escape, with a total of three inmates ultimately getting loose before a sergeant arrived with a stun gun and ordered them back to their cells.
This is not an isolated case. It seems a number of inmates have also sensed an opportunity for escape amidst the coronavirus pandemic. One prisoner even achieved success, walking freely out of jail thanks to one of the most common coronavirus-prevention tools: a simple face mask. (Face masks had previously been ordered by a federal judge to be provided to Cook County inmates to help stop the spread of coronavirus.)
On Saturday, May 2nd, Cook County inmate Quintin Henderson was scheduled to be discharged. The 28-year-old, who was in federal prison for drug-related charges, had been granted the release on his own recognizance.
But when his release date rolled around, it wasn’t Henderson who walked free out of the jail: It was another inmate named Jahquez Scott who, thanks to the use of a face mask, managed to successfully fool guards into thinking he was Henderson.
Scott, who is 21, has a record for battery to a police officer, possession of a controlled substance, and trespassing. Unlike Henderson, he would not be getting out of jail any time soon — at least not under lawful methods.
Before his release date, Scott struck a deal with Henderson, agreeing to pay him in exchange for using his identity on the day of his release. According to the Associated Press, Scott reportedly switched sweatshirts with Henderson and then slapped on a face mask supplied by the prison.
Scott has two tattoos on his face, one on each cheek. Based on blurry mugshots, one appears to be of dripping blood; the other is a heart.
Henderson, meanwhile, has no facial tattoos. He does, however, have a full beard that extends from below his earlobes to his chin. The face mask was key in hiding these aesthetic differences.
When Henderson’s name was called on the fateful day of his release, Scott stepped forward. After signing release papers with his assumed identity’s name, he was discharged and walked out of jail a free man.
That is, until Henderson later came forward and asked a guard if his name had been called. The 28-year-old claimed he’d been asleep when the discharge took place, playing dumb about the fact that Scott has assumed his identity. It was then that the prison realized its gaff, leading the FBI to issue a $2,000 reward for information leading to Scott’s arrest and conviction.
More than two weeks later, Scott was found by the sheriff’s department inside of a bedroom in a home on the northwest side of Chicago. Upon his arrest, he admitted to consensually switching identities with Henderson, explaining how he had promised his fellow inmate $1,000 to use his personal information for an escape.
Scott is now back behind bars at Cook County Jail, facing a new charge for felony escape.
As for Henderson, once his lie about being asleep was revealed thanks to Scott’s admonition, he was slapped with a new charge (of aiding and abetting the escape of a felon) and placed back in his cell. And to think, he could have been walking freely around Chicago right about now.
JESSIE SCHIEWE IS THE EDITOR OF OK WHATEVER. SHE BELIEVES IN MERMAIDS AND THRIFT SHOPS FOR EXERCISE.
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