Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes is fighting a judge over how to address COVID-19’s spread in the county’s jails.
Judge Peter Wilson wants a plan to release more inmates in order to slow transmission.
But Barnes says he’s already let go of everyone who can be released safely, arguing that those who are left would put the community at “substantial risk” if set free.
As the legal standoff continues, incarcerated people and their family members are sounding the alarm.
Johanna Diaz says her brother, Jose Armendariz, is a type one diabetic with asthma and blood pressure issues who is currently incarcerated at OC’s Theo Lacy jail.
“If he were to contact COVID it would be very terrible for his health, so he has to deal with that and the constant stress,” she said.
READ ON OUR FULL STORY ON COVID-19 CONDITIONS IN OC’S JAILS HERE:
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