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| California Inmate Hangs Himself |
| By Victorville Daily Press |
| Published: 07/30/2002 |
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A California prison inmate hanged himself in a holding cell last week, two days after he was transferred to an Adelanto prison because inmates learned he was a convicted child molester. Javier Francisco Mejia, a 37-year-old Mexican national, arrived at Desert View Modified Correctional Facility on July 23, California Department of Corrections Capt. Matthew Martel said. Prison staff members discovered that Mejia had hung himself with a bedsheet in his single-man cell when they went to check on him about 6:18 a.m., San Bernardino County Sheriff's officials reported. Officials moved Mejia from Golden State Modified Correctional Facility near Bakersfield because prisoners there found out that the inmate was a convicted child molester, Martel said. Inmates harass, beat up and even stab molesters with homemade knives inside the prison walls, he said. Mejia was arrested in February and charged with rape with a foreign object on a child under 16 and assault with intent to commit a sex crime. He pleaded guilty to the charges in Los Angeles Superior Court in Pomona Feb. 13 and received a three-year prison sentence, according to the CDC and court records. When Mejia arrived at the Adelanto prison, he told staff members he feared that inmates there had already found out about his crimes, Martel said. An inmate's commitment offense is not disclosed to other prisoners, but they often find out about sex offenders through newspaper articles or word of mouth, Martel said. Heimerich said sex offenders are sometimes kept in segregated areas or sent to lower security prisons, such as the Adelanto facility, to keep them safe. Prison staff members had been checking on Mejia every hour before he killed himself, Martel said. The inmate did not have any history of mental illness, and investigators do not suspect foul play. |
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