( HCSO photo ) TAMPA, Fla. - On March 19, a drug suspect with a lengthy rap sheet was released as part of Hillsborough County’s efforts to thin out the jail population amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
One day later, deputies say, he committed murder. According to the sheriff’s office, Joseph Edward Williams was in the Orient Road Jail on charges of possession of heroin, which is a third-degree felony, and possession drug paraphernalia, which is a first-degree misdemeanor.
The 26-year-old was one of 100 inmates given bond as part of an effort to lower the risk of COVID-19 spreading within detention facilities and to protect the inmates, deputies, and civilians working within the jails. PREVIOUS: Hillsborough County sheriff will release 164