The Orange County Sheriff’s Department will present its plan to mitigate a COVID-19 jail surge to an appeals judge Jan. 8 as it continues its fight to keep more than 1,000 inmates behind bars. “The sheriff believes that his plan is what is best for the Orange County community,” department spokesman Sgt. Dennis Breckner told The Epoch Times Jan. 7. “We have and will continue to take steps to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 in the Orange County Jails.” Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes will present his pandemic strategy after Superior Court Judge Peter J. Wilson ordered him on Dec. 11 to release 50 percent of county inmates to allow for greater physical distancing. The order came after a lawsuit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on behalf of inmates who claim they are vulnerable to COVID-19 due to underlying health conditions. Since the order, Barnes has expressed high concern over freeing the 1,800 …