DISTURBING surveillance footage has shown the horrifying moment an inmate crept “like a spider” towards a woman he wanted to rape on the other side of a jail.
Justin Avery, 29, was awaiting court processing for allegedly sexually assaulting five women near Arizona State University’s Tempe campus when he was seen sneaking past an oblivious guard at 4 am.
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Chilling footage released by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office showed Avery dropping to the ground in his bright orange prison uniform.
The intake and release facility in Maricopa County, Arizona, which is about a 50-minute drive outside of Phoenix, is separated on two sides, with women on one side and men on the other.
A number of people were seen sitting on chairs in the large room, with others sleeping on the floor in the waiting room.
Avery crawled past the people in the waiting room by moving on his hands and feet like a bug to the other side of the room.
He later told investigators he crawled like a “spider,” court documents reviewed by local ABC affiliate KNXV said.
He went on to say that he was attracted to one of the women in the building by “her fat a**.”
The detention officer on duty didn’t notice as the inmate snuck past.
“Although males and females are kept on separate sides of the waiting room while completing the booking process or awaiting court hearings, detention officers eyes cannot be everywhere, all of the time,” a MCSO spokesperson told KNXV.
MCSO said that Avery crawled around the wall and sneaked over to the women’s side within a minute and a half.
He then got behind a woman who was asleep and started to take off his pants.
Avery admitted later that he planned to “rape” the unsuspecting woman.
However, another woman nearby thwarted his plans.
She saw him and yelled, “Hey, get off of her,” the court documents said.
The video reportedly showed Avery shushing the woman who called him out.
MCSO’s full statement
A spokesperson for the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office shared a full statement about the incident with Justin Avery with The U.S. Sun.
“We’re appalled by inmate Avery’s actions at our ITR facility,” MCSO said.
“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.
“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.”
The interaction alerted the officer to the bizarre scene, causing them to call for backup.
He was immediately removed to an enclosed cell
Avery was charged with another count of sexual assault because of the incident.
During his interrogation, Avery told investigators that he would attack jail nurses, according to local Gannett affiliate the Arizona Republic.
He also said if he were released, he would “rape” every girl, court documents reviewed by the outlet said.
The sheriff’s office told The U.S. Sun that they were “appalled” by the incident and that they acted fast, adding mirrors in the facility to cover staff’s “blind spots.”
The Republic reports that Avery is due to appear in court next week to decide if he’s mentally competent to stand trial.
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