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Rhea sheriff says something needs to be done to address jail overcrowding as state issues warning
Women inmates are seen crowed into a cell at the Rhea County Jail on Wednesday, June 28, in Dayton, Tenn. Twenty-five women are housed in an eight-bed cell.Under strict orders from the state to reduce and eliminate its overpopulation, the Rhea County Jail on Wednesday began transferring inmates to counties around Tennessee.
The transfers began around 6 p.m., said Pam Hixson, bookkeeper for the jail. She estimated 50-60 inmates would be moved, and as of Thursday afternoon, she said the jail population was down to 157 from Wednesday's 205. The jail, built in 1962, is only approved to house 87 inmates.
The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, the state agency that sets minimum standards for jails, on Tuesday ordered the jail to reduce its inmate overpopulation by 50 percent within the next 30 days and completely eliminate overcrowding within 60 days.
Up to 11 men were crammed into four-bed cells Wednesday afternoon, and 25 women were in an eight-bed cell with what appeared to be an air conditioning leak in the ceiling that wet the inmates' sleeping mats. Men who had to sleep by toilets complained they couldn't sleep without getting urine splashed on them. Offices that were built in the 1960s were converted to cells, and men in one area were sleeping on mats in the hallways.
During a tour of the Rhea County Jail on Wednesday afternoon, Sheriff Mike Neal said the ceiling in the intake area fell through, soaking files and records. The ceiling appeared to have leak stains, but it was not apparent how much of it may have caved in or if any records were permanently ruined.
"People don't have any idea what we've been through here," said Administrator of Corrections Lt. Melba Huffman. "I've been here [for 12 hours], and we've just been covered up. I've just been trying to do paperwork as fast as I can to get it ready for [Friday]."
Hixson said more inmates will continue to be transferred in the following days.
According to the Rhea County Jail's website, 29 inmates were released in the last 24 hours. Huffman, speaking on behalf of Neal, who was busy balancing the number of inmates per cell, said those inmates are the same ones who are being transferred to other counties, as well as a few who are being put on house arrest.
"They are showing 'released,' as being booked out of here because they are no longer in this jail, but we have to keep up with them because they have to come back to court here," Huffman said.
Hixson said inmates were being sent to jails in Sequatchie, McMinn, Bledsoe, Robertson (north of Nashville) and Perry (southwest of Nashville) counties, in addition to a few going back to the Bledsoe County Correctional Complex.
The Grundy County Jail was asked to take inmates but declined, Grundy County Sheriff Clint Shrum said.
"They sent us sex offenders and we could not house them," he wrote in a text message, adding that his special holding area is full.
He said if nonsex offenders were sent, they could have taken them.
Huffman said Rhea County tried to send two other inmates who were not sex offenders, but they were not accepted.
The Grundy County Jail, which was built in 2016, can hold 114 inmates and was at 81 as of Thursday afternoon.
Sequatchie County Sheriff Ronnie Hitchcock said his jail received 10 Rhea County inmates.
"We're trying to help them out a little bit," he said. "If we start getting overpopulated ourselves, they'll have to move them somewhere else, but right now we plan on keeping them."
On Thursday, the Sequatchie County Jail had 92 inmates, just under the 100-or-so it is approved to house, Hitchcock said.
Four inmates were on their way to the Perry County Jail in Linden, Tenn., on Thursday evening, Sheriff Nick Weems said.
"We're going to house them as long as we can for them," he said. "We try to help each other out when someone is overcrowded."
Weems said his 54-bed jail's population was at 48 Thursday evening.
Sheriff's and jail administrators from other counties did not immediately return calls or text messages before press time Thursday to confirm that they've agreed to take Rhea County inmates.
Contact staff writer Rosana Hughes at rhughes@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6327. Follow her on Twitter @HughesRosana.