CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) – Authorities say four inmates face charges of malicious destruction of property after they broke the sprinkler system and flooded a county jail in Cambridge.
Middlesex County Sheriff James DiPaola said Thursday the inmates may also face assault charges for scuffling with corrections officers.
The Boston Globe reports DiPaola put the damage at about $400,000 and said “the calculator is still running.”
About half the jail’s 440 inmates were evacuated to other facilities after the Sunday incident, which broke out after 15 inmates were sent to hospitals with flu-like symptoms.
The sheriff said about 232 inmates are now at the jail, still more than its official capacity of 200. He said he supports legislation to reduce overcrowding, including allowing some awaiting trial to be confined at home with electronic monitoring.
Copy the Story LinkSend questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.