Fourth Elkton Inmate Death Reported

LISBON, Ohio — As a lawsuit on behalf of prisoners at the Federal Corrections Institution in Elkton gets underway, the death of a fourth inmate at the facility from COVID-19 has been reported by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

According to a release, inmate Alvin Turner, 43, died April 13 after testing positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

Turner had reported to the health services department at FCI Elkton on April 3 and, after evaluation, was transported to a local hospital for further treatment due to inability to maintain oxygen saturation and bilateral pneumonia. He was tested at the hospital and by the following Monday, his condition had worsened and he was placed on a ventilator.

The Bureau of Prisons’ statement noted Turner had long-term, pre-existing medical conditions the Center for Disease Control lists as risk factors for developing more severe COVID-19 disease.

He was sentenced in the Eastern District of Michigan to a 180-month term for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute cocaine and had been in custody at FCI Elkton since June 21, 2019.

FCI Elkton is a low-security facility that currently houses 1,999 male offenders with an adjacent federal satellite low facility that houses 418 low-security male offenders.

A spokesman at the Elkton facility reported Tuesday that 34 inmates are currently hospitalized, with 17 of them placed on ventilators. Another 49 are in isolation and 44 are quarantined.

Joseph Mayle, union president, said, “The number of COVID positive staff has increased severely,” reporting 22 staff members currently positive with the virus, compared to 14 Monday.

Pictured: Federal Correction Institution Elkton (Source: Federal Bureau of Prisons)

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