Nine female inmates walked away from a minimum-security prison in central South Dakota on Monday evening, just hours after the state announced a fellow prisoner had contracted the novel coronavirus.
Three inmates were apprehended on the Crow Creek Indian Reservation on Tuesday afternoon, according to press reports. A fourth escapee was taken into custody earlier in the day in Pennington County — more than 150 miles to the west of the minimum-security facility.
During a Tuesday a press conference, South Dakota officials confirmed to reporters the escapees came from the same unit housing the woman who’d tested positive for the novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19.
“Yes they were all in the same unit,” said Gov. Kristi Noem. “We don’t know if they were in close proximity to each other yet.”
The female inmate who tested positive for COVID-19 remains in isolation.
“The inmate we discussed yesterday continues to do well,” said Kim Malsam-Rysdon, secretary of the Department of Health.
The Sioux Falls Argus-Leader reports the women left through an exterior door.
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