County gets bill for jail inmate's dialysis
The Associated Press, January 28, 2007
South Bend, IN (AP) -- A man accused of child molestation is proving costly for the St. Joseph County Jail because he must undergo dialysis three times a week at the county's expense.
The treatments have cost the county $17,000 a month since the man was arrested in August.
'We're looking at $70,000 and it's steadily growing,' said Julie Lawson, the jail warden.
County Commissioner Steve Ross said the total could reach as much as $100,000. The man is awaiting trial Feb. 12 on child molesting and other charges.
'It's a tremendous economic burden,' Sheriff Frank Canarecci said.
Canarecci said the 46-year-old man was born in Mexico and has previously been deported. He did not release the name of the inmate, citing medical privacy.
The county hopes that the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will help cover the treatment costs, Lawson said.
. . .
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/loca ... 0998.story