A man was arrested in Florida over murder charges a day after he was released from a prison to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.
According to details, Joseph Williams, 26, was imprisoned at Orient Road Jail on March 13 for possession of heroin and drug paraphernalia.
However, he was released on March 16, among 163 other low-risk inmates from the prison following the issuance of Administrative Order 2020-018 which allows people to go free early to decrease the risk of contracting COVID-19 in crowded facilities.
It is pertinent to mention here that United States tops in the global tally of coronavirus cases, as it has nearly one third of the world-wide cases, 644746 patients testing positive for the infection, of which 28,593 lost their battle against the virus.
Overall 52,663 people have recovered from the COVID-19.
The day after his release, the police was alerted of a murder incident at Ash Avenue in Tampa. William was allegedly found involved
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There is no question Joseph Williams took advantage of this health emergency to commit crimes while he was out of jail awaiting resolution of a low-level, non-violent offense,’ Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement.
‘As a result, I call on the State Attorney to prosecute this defendant to the fullest extent of the law.’
According to reports, the murder accused has track record of criminal history and was previously convicted of two felony offenses including burglary of an unoccupied conveyance in 2012 and felon in possession of a firearm in 2018, in addition to five misdemeanor convictions.
While on last month’s drug charges Williams was issued a bond of $2,500 and was eligible for release, now he’s back in jail on a no bond status.
