Advertisement Woman Left For Four Nights In Washington County Courthouse Cell County Officials Said Steps Have Been Taken To Ensure It Does Not Happen Again Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A bailiff forgot to remove a defendant from a courthouse holding cell last week, forcing the woman to spend four nights in a locked room without food, water or a toilet, the Washington County Sheriffs Office said.UPDATE:Bailiff Suspended For 30 Days Court workers discovered Adrianna Torres-Flores, 38, of Springdale, on Monday morning. She appeared dehydrated and was taken to a hospital for treatment, said County Judge Jerry Hunton.Torres-Flores was left in the detention room --- intended for short-term detention only --- all weekend. Because of snow last week, fewer staff were in the courthouse late Thursday and Friday to notice Torres-Flores in the holding cell.You know, it was a very unfortunate situation, Hunton said.Torres-Flores was transported to Washington Regional Medical Center by emergency medical personnel, but hospital representatives said she was never admitted to the hospital.Torres-Flores was in court for a plea agreement on Thursday, March 6, but Judge William Storey revoked Torres-Flores bail because she was in the country illegally. Torres-Flores was accused of being involved in a bootleg CD and DVD ring in Springdale in December and had been out on bail since her arraignment in December.Normal procedure for an out-of-custody defendant who is remanded to the sheriffs custody requires the court bailiff make notification to sheriffs office transport personnel, officials said.For some reason, the bailiff didnt go and immediately make the call for transport, and I guess he, at a later time, just forgot to , Hunton said.Hankins had only been a bailiff for approximately two weeks and was placed on paid leave pending an investigation, Washington County Sheriff Tim Helder said.Helder said unless he finds out the bailiff locked the woman inside the cell and left her there on purpose, he expects the bailiff to be back on the job and to learn from his mistake.Hunton said Monday that immediate measures have been taken to ensure this does not happen again, including putting a camera in the cell and a light outside the cell that will be on when someone is inside.The best thing that we can do is to make sure it doesnt happen to anybody else, Hunton said.The Mexican consul from Little Rock, Andres Chao, was in town Tuesday to monitor the situation. He wants to make sure the incident and investigation was handled fairly, as this plays out in the future, the consul said.The Mexican consul is involved because Torres-Flores is a Mexican national.When she was arrested in December, officers ran her name through the ice- database and found that she was in the country illegally, officials said."At this moment she wants to recover physically and emotionally. It's too hard for her. Four days without any answers and in that condition without a blanket --- its very difficult for her, Chao said.Chao also met with Helder and Hunton Tuesday. Helder assured Chao it was a mistake and is being looked at seriously, Helder said.Torres-Flores would not comment to reporters Tuesday on the advice of her attorney. Discuss on our message board