Anchorage convict charged with violating state's quarantine mandate

The Bureau of Prisons flew an Anchorage felon infected with COVID-19 from California to Anchorage after the inmate was granted compassionate early release because of the pandemic. The inmate's positive test results came back on May 11, three days after he arrived in Anchorage.

The documents show that on May 6 the United States District Court, District of Alaska, granted Duane Byron Fields compassionate release. The court specifically referred to the State of Alaska’s quarantine requirement, which was Health Mandate 10 at the time, in its court order.

Court documents also show Fields was tested for COVID-19 while in-custody on May 6. The court wasn’t made aware of the test prior to granting the release.

One of the requirements the court asked Fields before granting the release was to determine where he was going to stay during the quarantine. Fields originally said his mother's home, but it was later determined he would stay at a Spenard area hotel.

On May 8, Fields arrived in Anchorage and was picked up by his daughter at Ted Stevens International Airport.

His probation officer reminded Fields of the 14-day self-quarantine during a call on May 10. Documents note at this time Fields “never mentioned that FCI Terminal Island had tested him for COVID-19.”

On May 11, FCI Terminal Island informed the USPO that Fields was positive for COVID-19.

The officer then tried to get a hold of Fields by contacting his daughter. The officer was informed Fields’ daughter was not at work and that the room Fields was staying in had no phone.

The USPO than called Fields’ mother who told him “her son was at the very moment on her couch in her residence.”

The officer then went to Fields’ mom’s house where he spoke with him. When asked why he clearly wasn’t at the hotel where he should be self-quarantined, court documents say, “Fields stated he was there to retrieve personal belongings and clothing.” The officer informed Fields of his positive test and told him to return to the hotel.

Cynthia Franklin, Field's attorney, says her client had no idea that he had tested positive when he boarded a plane to Alaska.

"Just blatant gross and incalculable negligence in not telling him what his result was and letting him leave the facility, get on a plane from LA to Seattle, get on a plane from Seattle to Anchorage, have this daughter pick him up. That entire time that information about the COVID-19 positive test was in the Bureau of Prisons," Franklin said.

She says Fields has been following his release plan and had informed his probation officer that he would be visiting his mother's house.

"If Mr. Fields hadn't tested positive, would he be charged with that, would this be a charge not only violating his supervised release," she added. "A charge of violating his supervised release, but new charges, contempt of court, they're making an example out of him."

In 2012, Fields was found guilty in the District of Alaska to the following charges:

He was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison. Fields was held at the Terminal Island Federal Correctional Institue until May 8.

On February 24, Fields requested the United States District Court, District of Alaska grant him compassionate release.

According to a

, “Nearly half of the inmates at the federal prison at Terminal Island in San Pedro have tested positive for the coronavirus in what has become the nation’s worst outbreak in a federal penitentiary.”

The

both the Lompoc and Terminal Island federal prisons.

Months later Fields' request was granted.

"Fields is being prosecuted for contempt of court, which is an independent federal, criminal charge,” said Chloe Martin, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office. “The basis for the federal charge is Fields’ violation of the judge’s order. It just so happens that his contempt was also in violation of the State’s mandate.”