By Allison M. Roberts
Danville Register & Bee
DANVILLE, Va. — The recent fly infestation in the Pittsylvania County Jail is something Sheriff Mike Taylor calls an “incidental discovery” because it allowed officials to find a much bigger problem — deteriorated drain pipes under the jail.
Taylor said the problem began about three weeks ago, and exterminators were brought in to get rid of the small flies jail employees were reporting. After two rounds of pesticides, the problem was not getting any better.
“When I say ‘infestation’ I mean there were so many that it only took an hour or so for the sticky pad under the light that attracts the bugs to be completely full,” Taylor said.
At that point, Taylor said, a plumber came in and identified the bugs as drain flies — later testing would show the insects were humpback flies. Because of the colder spring weather, their life cycle was delayed which caused them to lie dormant in the drains of the jail. Now warmer weather is here, the eggs were beginning to hatch, Taylor said.
The plumber used more than 2,000 pounds of pressure to clean the eggs and remaining flies out of the drains, Taylor said. After the drains had been cleaned, a small scope was sent into the drains to make sure the infestation was cleared up.
It was at that point, Taylor said, he learned of the much larger issue regarding the pipes.
“We found the piping in the jail of the ground floor — in several locations — had been completely eaten through,” Taylor said. “I’m just glad it wasn’t on any of the top floors.”
The problem could have been much worse than it was, Taylor said, if jail personnel had had to move inmates. Right now, the Pittsylvania County jail is about 345 percent overcrowded, Taylor said, and there is a lot of preparation that goes into moving an inmate.
An inmate’s medical history has to be taken into consideration if they are moved, and their file also had to be sent with them, Taylor said. If transport had been necessary, inmates would have had to be moved one cell block at a time.
The classification system used to house the inmates would have to be considered as well to make sure rival gang members were not put together, to make sure cooperating witnesses in upcoming trials were protected and to make sure inmates who have history with one another remain separated, Taylor said.
The jail is built to hold 36 inmates — 72 if they are double-bunked — and the daily count can reach as high as 150 on sentencing days, Taylor said. Right now, the count is hovering around 100 on a daily basis. Taylor said he has talked with the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors about the need for a new facility, but he does not anticipate having a new building anytime soon.
Years ago there was a jail in Pittsylvania County that the Department of Corrections closed because of the inmate accommodations. Taylor said administrators were warned to build a new facility or the Department of Corrections would be forced to close the jail.
“We’re no where near that point, but I don’t want to ever be in that position,” Taylor said.