RICHMOND – A COVID-19 outbreak at the Ray County Jail sen several staff members and employees home, Sheriff Scott Childers said March 18. Eleven people – six inmates and five employees – tested positive for the virus, he said. To stop the spread, Childers said his office reached out to the circuit court, which provided permission to allow the inmates to return home while wearing electronic ankle shackles. Staff also received clearance from health officials to allow the release, he said. “We sent them home. We even provided rides for the ones who wanted rides to take them home,” Childers said. “They had to have a ‘home plan’ before we released them, and one inmate did end up ... hospitalized.” None of the inmates released is considered a dangerous felon, he said. The jail offers less separation among inmates and staff than what he would like, Childers said. “I don’t have the segregation (space),” he said. To deal with the virus, visitors are not allowed at the jail for now, he said. …