Quarantined inmate not contagious

Molly Ball

Thursday, June 30, 2005 | 8:58 a.m.

A jail inmate who was quarantined for tuberculosis has been found not to be contagious, and the court proceedings against him will be dropped.

The Clark County Health District had sought and received a court order isolating 55-year-old Juan Marin from the general population at the Clark County Detention Center because he had not completed tuberculosis treatment and refused to take medication.

Laboratory test results returned Tuesday showed that Marin no longer has the disease, said Stephen Minagil, the health district's attorney. A hearing scheduled for Wednesday was canceled as a result.

The health district will agree to vacate the isolation order on the condition that Marin continues to take medication until July 21, Minagil said. Health district nurses say that is necessary so that the disease doesn't "reactivate."

Officials have said Marin will be eligible from release from jail as soon as July 13.

The proceeding was the first-ever use of a 2003 law intended to combat bioterrorism. The law allows infectious individuals to be quarantined against their will.

Marin, who had been incarcerated on a probation violation when his medical condition was discovered, maintained from the beginning that he was already cured.

Although Marin turned out to be right, Minagil said the proceeding was necessary. In addition to the health district's nurses, two independent doctors who examined Marin agreed that he was a public health risk, Minagil noted.

Marin appeared at the quarantine hearings via videoconference. But earlier this month, in the middle of his court-ordered isolation, Marin was taken in person to a different courtroom for another proceeding.

Although officials agreed he should not have been taken to the courthouse, no one was believed to be endangered by the blunder because Marin wore a mask and appeared only briefly.

Metro Detention Services Division Chief Paul Martin said procedures have been changed at the jail to make sure it doesn't happen again. From now on, court orders are to be posted on the doors of isolated inmates, he said.