Jail inmates cope with spiders

JONESBORO, Ark. -- Spiders have infested a county jail in northeast Arkansas, biting at least 15 inmates and confounding the exterminator.

The main offender appears to be the brown recluse spider.

"We're doing the best we can to get rid of (the spiders)," Sheriff Jack McCann said.

The first complaints date to January, said assistant jail administrator Matt Vaughn. He said one inmate had "pretty substantial" symptoms and required medical attention.

"My understanding is you have to have direct contact to kill them," Vaughn said. "So it's kind of like we're fighting a losing battle. We need to figure something else out because what we are doing is not working."