8-Legged Bugs In My Breakfast Cereal: Will County Jail Inmate

JOLIET, IL — A 29-year-old man jailed in Will County said that he found several little bugs crawling around in his breakfast cereal in January. Now, six months later, Maurice Thomas, a Romeoville man facing firearm charges, has filed a civil lawsuit against the Will County Adult Detention Facility.

Thomas is seeking a judgment of more than $50,000 from the Will County Sheriff's Office. Thomas has been locked up in the Will County Jail near downtown Joliet since his arrest by Bolingbrook police on May 18, 2019.

He remains unable to post 10 percent of his $150,000 bail, jail logs show.

"On January 20, 2020 while eating my Kosher breakfast I observed several eight-legged bugs in my breakfast cereal," Thomas' writes in the suit. "These bugs were floating around and some appeared dead and others were alive.

"I immediately notified the Deputy Haas whom was working of the discovery."

According to Thomas, "this deputy as well as other inmates witnessed these bugs that were floating around in the milk. I had also told the deputy that I had consumed some also as I did not notice them till after three bits."

The lawsuit indicates that the sheriff's deputy called the Will County Jail's kitchen supervisor "and informed her of what was going on."

Thomas states that he filed grievances "concerning this issue as these bugs were found on my Kosher Meal/Breakfast."

His lawsuit indicates that at 6:41 p.m., "I also notified a nurse on third shift that my stomach was hurting. January 21, 2020, and she offered me tums and put me in to see the doctor. I never saw a doctor that day or prior to this incident as the health care was refusing to see me and told me that ... the stomach pains will go away."

Thomas states in his lawsuit that "after exhausting my administrative remedies and not receiving proper responses and Will County Adult Detention Facility out right refusing to answer my grievances now comes this suit for money damages."

Thomas says he is seeking monetary damages against the Will County jail and its food supervisor "being negligent and causing injury."

Thomas states that he is filing the lawsuit "pro se," which means without the assistance of a lawyer. He also informed the judge that he is a poor person who does not have a prison or county jail job where he can earn money.

"This is my first time filing a suit in this court nor have I ever filed a suit prior to this in any state or federal court in Illinois or any state," he told the court.

Joliet Patch contacted the Will County Sheriff's Office seeking comment for this article, but sheriff's officials did not respond.