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| Spiders Bite 15 Inmates in Arkansas Jail |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 06/05/2003 |
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Spiders have infested a county jail in northeast Arkansas, biting at least 15 inmates and confounding the exterminator. The main offender appears to be the brown recluse spider, up to three-quarters of an inch long with long, skinny legs and a violin-shaped mark on its head. Inmate Tim Steele, 26, showed off his lower left leg Friday, inflamed and red from a bite. A brown recluse's bite can cause a rash, swelling and flu-like symptoms and, in rare cases, can cause kidney failure, seizures and even coma, according to the National Institutes of Health. 'We're doing the best we can to get rid of (the spiders),' Sheriff Jack McCann said. The Craighead County sheriff said a pest-control contractor has increased spraying, and that he began to address the problem a month ago. The first complaints date to January, said assistant jail administrator Matt Vaughn. He said one inmate had 'pretty substantial' symptoms and required medical attention. 'My understanding is you have to have direct contact to kill them,' Vaughn said. 'So it's kind of like we're fighting a losing battle. We need to figure something else out because what we are doing is not working.' |
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