Staff Report
Tribune-Star

A federal inmate in Terre Haute has died of COVID-19 after testing positive just four days after being transferred to the Federal Correctional Institution.

Joseph Lee Fultz, 52, died Sunday, Feb. 14, after being found unresponsive in his cell. His death is the sixth reported at the federal corrections complex in Vigo County.

According to a Federal Bureau of Prisons news release, Fultz had been in custody at FCI Terre Haute since Jan. 7. He tested positive for COVID-19 on Jan. 11 and was placed in medical isolation.

On Jan. 25, Fultz was converted to a status of recovered following completion of medical isolation and presenting with no symptoms, the BOP said, citing guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

After being found unresponsive on Sunday, prison staff initiated life-saving measures and requested emergency medical services. Fultz was later pronounced dead by EMS personnel.

Fultz had long-term, pre-existing medical conditions which the CDC lists as risk factors for developing more severe COVID-19 disease, the BOP said.

Fultz had been sentenced to 27 years in prison out of the Southern District of Iowa on a charge of sexual exploitation of children.

FCI Terre Haute is a medium-security facility that currently houses 841 male offenders. It is adjacent to the U.S. Penitentiary which houses 1,205 inmates. Cases of COVID-19 soared to more than 280 at the USP in December.

According to the BOP website, the FCI has had four inmate deaths due to COVID-19, and as of Tuesday, is reporting 12 inmate cases and 13 staff cases. BOP also reports 449 inmates have been converted to recovered status, and 112 staff are reported as recovered.

At the penitentiary, 33 inmates and two staff are currently reported with COVID-19. Two inmate deaths have been reported, with 693 inmates and 18 staff reported as recovered.

The Bureau of Prisons provides updates and information on actions related to COVID-19 at www.bop.gov/ coronavirus/index.jsp.

Joseph Lee Fultz, 52, died Sunday after being found unresponsive in his cell. His death is the sixth reported at the federal corrections complex in Vigo County.

According to a Federal Bureau of Prisons news release, Fultz had been in custody at FCI Terre Haute since Jan. 7. He tested positive for COVID-19 on Jan. 11 and was placed in medical isolation.

On Jan. 25, Fultz was converted to a status of recovered following completion of medical isolation and presenting with no symptoms, the BOP said, citing guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

After being found unresponsive on Sunday, prison staff initiated life-saving measures and requested emergency medical services. Fultz was later pronounced dead by EMS personnel.

Fultz had long-term, pre-existing medical conditions which the CDC lists as risk factors for developing more severe COVID-19 disease, the BOP said.

Fultz had been sentenced to 27 years in prison out of the Southern District of Iowa on a charge of sexual exploitation of children.

FCI Terre Haute is a medium-security facility that currently houses 841 male offenders. It is adjacent to the U.S. Penitentiary which houses 1,205 inmates. Cases of COVID-19 soared to more than 280 at the USP in December.

According to the BOP website, the FCI has had four inmate deaths due to COVID-19, and as of Tuesday, is reporting 12 inmate cases and 13 staff cases. BOP also reports 449 inmates have been converted to recovered status, and 112 staff are reported as recovered.

At the penitentiary, 33 inmates and two staff are currently reported with COVID-19. Two inmate deaths have been reported, with 693 inmates and 18 staff reported as recovered.

The Bureau of Prisons provides updates and information on actions related to COVID-19 at www.bop.gov/ coronavirus/index.jsp.

This article was made available through Hoosier State Press Association.