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Jailed Woman Left for 4 Days

Illegal immigrant lived without food or water; bailiff a 'broken man'

By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff

Posted Mar 11, 2008 8:45 PM CDT
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(Newser) – An illegal immigrant was forgotten in a courthouse holding cell in Springdale, Ark. for 4 days without food, water, or a toilet, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports. With only sparse furniture and a lightbulb in her cell, Adriana Torres-Flores slept on the floor and drank her own urine to survive. The bailiff who forgot about her until yesterday is now “a broken man,” the county sheriff said.

Collared last year for selling pirated CDs, Torres-Flores was being held on a bail violation and faced deportation. She is now at home recuperating after hospital care. “She was feeling like she was going to die,” her daughter said. A probe is pending, and the sheriff vows to boost safety measures to avoid such mistakes in the future.

Adriana Torres-Flores was forgotten in a holding cell for 4 days with nothing to eat or drink.
Adriana Torres-Flores was forgotten in a holding cell for 4 days with nothing to eat or drink.   (Shutterstock.com)
Adriana Torres-Flores was forgotten in a holding cell for 4 days with nothing to eat or drink.
Adriana Torres-Flores was forgotten in a holding cell for 4 days with nothing to eat or drink.   (Shutterstock.com)
Washington County Sheriff Tim Helder answers questions during an interview on Jan. 11, 2008 in Fayetteville, Ark. Helder said bailiff Jarrod Hankins was a broken man after he left Adriana Torres-Flores in a holding cell for 4 days with nothing to eat or drink. (AP Photo/Beth Hall)
Washington County Sheriff Tim Helder answers questions during an interview on Jan. 11, 2008 in Fayetteville, Ark. Helder said bailiff Jarrod Hankins was "a broken man" after he left Adriana Torres-Flores...   (Associated Press)
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US

 
illegal immigrant • prison • starvation • Adriana Torres-Flores • bailiff • courthouse

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