Note: This story was updated on Feb. 3 to correct the charges against Harrison Alexander Ellison and to correct a quotation from District Attorney Coty Wamp.
A hearing on a motion to transfer a Silverdale Detention Center inmate to another facility Thursday shifted to a broader debate on the jail’s conditions with District Attorney Coty Wamp calling the facility sufficient for all inmates.
In a surprising move, Wamp appeared in court to argue against the request for a transfer before Hamilton County Criminal Court Judge Barry Steelman — even noting that the inmate has access to a touch-screen tablet for movies, books and calls.
On the second day of the hearing, Wamp said she decided to become involved after she saw media reports about video footage from the inmate’s cell, first reported by the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
“The state is here on behalf of the jail to say that it is sufficient,” Wamp said. “There’s nothing to hide about the conditions of the jail.”