A male inmate in an Arizona jail was caught on camera crawling past a security guard to get to the female side of the facility – where he later confessed that he planned to “rape” a female inmate, according to court documents.
Justin Avery, 29, was in custody for allegedly sexually assaulting five women near Arizona State University’s Tempe campus when surveillance caught him sneaking past an oblivious guard at 4 a.m., according to footage obtained by ABC15.
Avery, wearing a bright orange jail jumpsuit, was seen dropping to the ground and scooting on his behind to get from the busy male side of the Maricopa County intake facility to the much quieter female side, the outlet said.
He later admitted he “snuck over like a spider” because he was attracted by a female inmate’s “fat a–,” according to court documents obtained by ABC15.
When Avery made it to the women’s side, he crept up behind a sleeping female inmate and lowered his pants — later admitting he planned to “rape” her, according to the court docs.
However, he was stopped when another woman saw him and screamed, “Hey, get off of here,” the court docs said.
Avery tried shushing the witness, but the outburst had already alerted the security guard, who called for backup.
He confessed during interviews and was charged with an additional count of sexual assault.
The disturbing incident in custody happened in April, but only now came to light after the footage was obtained via a records request, ABC15 said.
“We’re appalled by inmate Avery’s actions,” the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office told AZFamily.
“This was a unique incident and the first of its kind in four years, since the [Intake Transfer and Release] 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.”
Avery, who is still in custody, was “reclassified” due to “his institutional behavior,” the spokesperson added.
He is expected in court on Tuesday.
