(La Porte, IN) - The La Porte County Sheriff’s Department is dispelling rumors of a coronavirus jailbreak at the county’s lockup facility.  Social media rumors about an outbreak in the jail have spread, but according to officials, the virus has not.

Chief Deputy Ron Heeg says the county jail in downtown La Porte is still COVID-free. "There's been some rumors and misinformation going around out there," he said. "As of 3:51 pm. on December 23, there are zero cases of COVID in the county jail, and there have been zero cases in the county jail since this first started back in the spring."

Heeg said about eight to ten department employees, out of 174, have dealt with the virus over the past nine months. But, by following painstaking procedures, no inmates have tested positive.