Meth War

BY DALE ELLIS

Managing Editor   02/18/2003

With overcrowding and deteriorating conditions continuing to plague White County jail officials, Sheriff Pat Garrett issued a plea to the White County Quorum Court Tuesday night for some relief. Recently, Garrett closed the jail to any misdemeanor offenders, a move which prompted the city of Beebe to look elsewhere to house its detainees.

"We kept it open for as long as we could," Garrett told the court, "butwe've had a large influx of felons." Many of those, he said, had been transported from ADC for court dates and had to be housed, while others have been kept at the jail awaiting bed space at ADC.

A tent on the grounds of the WCDC has been used to house misdemeanor offenders, but Garrett said it has fallen into disrepair, and repairs to the jail that were undertaken last year have also not held up.

"It's worn out," he said of the tent. "It's leaking just like everything else out there."

The county does have another tent that Garrett had hoped to put into use, but several years of storage, he said, had taken its toll, and the tent is not only a military specification tent like the current facility, but has been mildewed and rotted out over years of storage.

A second proposal Garrett suggested was the erection of a 20 foot by 60 foot metal building that would house approximately 45 to 50 misdemeanor inmates. Currently, the existing tent can only hold 20 inmates.

Garrett also commented to the court that the sheriff's department, which was allotted $8,500 in drug buy money at the first of the year, has spent all but about $3,000 of that money thus far.

He said the money will be returned to the department, but is currently tied up in evidence and is unavailable for use.

"The problem is we are now having the house that money as evidence for court," he said. "One more good drug buy and we'll be out of money."

He said that money also is used to maintain the department's two drug dogs.

"Fortunately," he quipped, "they don't need oil changes."

Judge Bob Parish said that he would recommend to the budget committee and building and grounds committee to take up the issue of more money for drug buys and to build a misdemeanor facility.

Asked where a new building for misdemeanor offenders would erected, Garrett replied that he would have it placed on the current site of the tent.

He also stated that the jail, which has undergone extensive repairs over the past two years, is still in disrepair, with numerous leaks where the roof has been patched.

"Folks," he said, "I need some relief."

"We've looked into it and we don't have the money," Judge Parish replied. "I've hollered this for five years. We don't have the money."

"We've got to do something right away," Garrett said. "This is something that will close this building."

He showed the quorum court members a number of photos showing leaks throughout the building, including in the kitchen and food preparation areas.

"I'm not arguing with you," the sheriff said. "I'm just telling you like it is."

Following Garrett's presentation, Jim Langford and Mike Kelly of SouthBuild Construction outlined proposals for possible new county lockup facilities, noting that they have built a number of such facilities in five states. After showing several different jail designs, Langford noted that, after building a juvenile lockup facility for Washington County, the company was later tapped to build an adult jail.

"I think it says a lot that we built one facility for these people and few years later they've asked us to come back," he said.

Following a presentation on flood plain management by Jason Donham and Johnny Mullens, the court passed an at-will employment policy that had been debated extensively at last month's meeting, and dropped consideration of the county's permanent policy which has been in effect. It also passed an appropriation ordinance to recap the annual operating budget for 2002, and appointed Dr. Eugene McKay to the White County Medical Center board of directors. Under an emergency clause, the court appointed a new 911 Emergency Services Board of Directors, naming Searcy Police Chief J.R. Thomas of Searcy, Joey Smith of Rose Bud, Harry Belew of Beebe, Bill Haynie of Bald Knob, and Bobby Armstrong of Judsonia to that board.

Lieutenant Stan Rogers of the Searcy Fire Department was appointed interim chairman of the Local Emergency Planning Commission which is currently being established.

In other action, the quorum court established a $25 per day per inmate charge for any city that does not wish to pay an established yearly fee to the jail.