A shocking surveillance video has been released, showing an Arizona inmate crawling on the floor past a guard to sexually assault a woman.
Justin Avery was already facing charges for a series of sexual assaults. On April 11, he was arrested for assaulting five women at Arizona State University.
While waiting to see a judge, Avery can be seen crawling on the floor in front of an MCSO detention officer who was preoccupied at his desk. He then grabs a woman who is sleeping on the ground. He began to grope her and pulled down his pants.
Officers were alerted to the crime after another woman, who was sitting nearby, yelled at Avery to get off the victim. He attempts to quiet the woman but aa nearby officer had already approached them.
Upon interrogation, Avery shockingly confessed that he crawled like a “spider” because he glimpsed the female inmate’s “fat ass.”
Law enforcement issued a statement following the incident.
“We’re appalled by inmate Avery’s actions at our ITR facility. This was a unique incident and the first of its kind in four years, since the ITR facility was open. We acted immediately, adding mirrors for better monitoring in the blind spots that were identified,” a statement from a Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson reads. “In addition, a review of our current procedures was completed to ensure best practices are being implemented. The safety of staff and inmates is our top priority, and we’re committed to ensuring this doesn’t happen again. Inmate Avery has been reclassified due to his institutional behavior.”
