Inmate’s spouse claims Southern Regional Jail is blocking calls after speaking out

BEAVER, WV (WOAY) – Two inmates from Southern Regional Jail believe they are being retaliated against for speaking out about unsanitary conditions. 

The two inmates made claims that the hygiene status of the jail was in disarray. They said they were overcrowded and basic hygiene necessities weren’t being met. Now those inmates have been unable to contact some of their family members.

Jennifer Toler, the spouse of Avery Toler, one of the inmates, is claiming that her cell phone number has been blocked by the jail, and Avery is not allowed to contact her. 

“My number for my husband has been blocked to where he can not call me. And video visitations have been blocked. He can’t receive video visitations from anyone,” Jennifer Toler said.

Jennifer also claims that Avery has been able to contact other people such as his mother, but since this past Friday, anytime he tries to call his wife, the call is blocked. Jennifer believes that the jail is doing this to retaliate against the inmates for speaking out.

“After we did the video and aired it, the jail has decided to retaliate against the inmates. My husband – Avery Toler, and Justin McCann – the guy that read the letter in the video. They have been blocked. They can not call their family members.”

According to Jennifer, she’s worried this may be happening to other inmates as well. Neither Avery or Justin have been able to contact some members of their immediate families. Which could be devastating for their relatives, especially during a pandemic. 

“They cut off all of their outside connections and their spouses and families don’t know what’s going on.”

After the two inmates spoke out last week, the West Virginia Department of Homeland Security toured the jail and found nothing that could support their claims. However Jennifer and her spouse Avery are still adamant about the jail’s conditions. Jennifer plans to speak with members of the jail’s staff this week to get more information.

WOAY reached out to Southern Regional Jail for comment, but has not received a response. 

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