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NATCHEZ — An inmate in the Adams County Jail who has been held for a little more than a year on felony charges is pregnant, law officials said.

Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten said Friday that a county employed nurse practitioner was able to examine the inmate and confirmed she is pregnant.

Patten did not release the name of the woman who was impregnated and said how she was able to conceive is still under investigation.

Statements taken from the woman and from several other inmates, however, led investigators to believe she was not raped and that the father is another inmate housed in a separate part of the jail, he said.

Before discovering the inmate was pregnant, Patten said trusty female inmates were able to leave their cells to perform cleaning duties under supervision.

“According to her (the pregnant inmate), she walked down the stairs while she was cleaning the stairwell and saw another inmate in the laundry room,” Patten said. “She claims they ‘did a quicky’ and she came right back up. We have no video evidence of that nor do we have anything to corroborate her story.”

Patten said interviews with the inmate indicate she was not coerced.

“The female in question is being held on some pretty serious charges and has been trying everything possible to get out,” Patten said. “She made it very clear when talking to investigators that she was not raped, she was not forced and it was mutual. No guards were involved.”

Patten said jail regulations have since been changed so that female inmates no longer leave their cells for as long as the investigation is ongoing.

“We’re not using them to clean anymore at least until this investigation is done,” he said.

Patten said the female in question had only been allowed out of her cell twice since she was incarcerated and had been supervised on both occasions. Patten said she had also requested several pregnancy tests since she arrived at the jail.

“We gave her tests and they kept coming back negative,” he said, adding the last one came back positive.

Patten said the woman is still being housed in Adams County Jail while the county nurse oversees her medical care.

“It’s very unfortunate that this happened. It will never cease to amaze me what a criminal will do to get out of jail,” Patten said. “Conceiving a child is not the way.”