Surveillance footage from a Maricopa County jail facility has revealed a disturbing incident where a male inmate was seen crawling past a security guard to access the female side of the intake center, according to court documents and local media reports.
Justin Avery, 29, who was in custody for allegedly sexually assaulting five women near Arizona State University’s Tempe campus, was captured on video at 4 a.m. sneaking from the male side of the facility to the female area. The footage, obtained by ABC15 through a records request, shows Avery dropping to the floor and scooting past an apparently unaware guard.
Court documents state that Avery later admitted he “snuck over like a spider” with the intention to “rape” a female inmate. The incident occurred in April but has only recently come to light.
According to the documents, Avery approached a sleeping female inmate and lowered his pants before being spotted by another woman who alerted the guards. He was subsequently charged with an additional count of sexual assault.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office released a statement saying, “We’re appalled by inmate Avery’s actions.” They noted this was the first incident of its kind in the four years since the facility opened and have since added mirrors to improve monitoring of blind spots and reviewed their procedures.
Avery remains in custody and has been “reclassified” due to his behavior. He is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.
This incident has raised serious questions about security protocols in the jail facility and the safety of inmates, particularly in gender-segregated areas.
