Jail filled with drugs, liquor, weapons

Kentucky Department of Corrections officials say when they went to close the Whitley County Jail early Saturday morning; the situation was worse than they ever could have imagined.
DOC Commissioner John Rees, who originally ordered the jail closed in May, said the jail was awash with drugs, liquor, weapons and other contraband and was a “filthy, chaotic mess.”
About 20 staff from other correctional facilities around the state, along with Deputy DOC Commissioner Jim Schoming, arrived at the jail about 8:50 a.m. Saturday morning to begin the process of moving prisoners to other facilities. Rees said the situation was so bad, officials made the decision to move all 134 inmates at once – a process that stretched until 10:00 p.m. that evening.
“We found a lot of contraband, a lot of chaos and a lot of filth,” Rees said. “I just don’t know how to describe it. Other jailers around the state were embarrassed by this situation. It was just not a healthy situation.”
Aided by Kentucky State Police, officials found all kinds of prescription pill, marijuana and even crack-cocaine. The first cell searched contained four gallons of home-brewed beer. Weapons consisting of razor blades, sharpened plastic toothbrushes and knives were found. Corrections officials also found various drug paraphernalia, tattooing kits and even some hypodermic needles. Cash was also found in some of the cells.
Rees also said lack of any organization was pervasive at the jail. Prisoners were milling about freely and male and female inmates were still allowed unsupervised contact – a violation DOC inspectors noted in April.
“You would have thought that situation would have been corrected,” Rees said. “We found three or four women in the kitchen unsupervised and several men right next to them through and open laundry room door. It was just a total lack of organization.”
Rees said officials also noticed the jail had a brand new computer system that was, apparently, unused … without a single entry regarding any inmates. He said the DOC had to reconstruct, as best as possible, written records regarding who is actually in the jail and any type of medical treatment they are supposed to receive.
Some of the employees at the jail cooperated with the closure, others did not. Rees said Whitley County Jailer Jerry Taylor, who has been sharply criticized for his management of the jail, came on site during the closure and was told to leave.
In anticipation of the jail being closed, some prisoners accused of minor offenses were released.
All 27 female inmates at the jail were taken to the Bullitt County Detention Center. Twenty-one inmates went to Pulaski County, 40 to Davies County (Owensboro), 33 to the Laurel County Detention Center and 12 to Wayne County. Some inmates from each of those jails were relocated to state-run facilities in order to make room for the influx of prisoners. The Kentucky Jailers Association helped in the task.
“It wasn’t easy, but we worked with a lot of other jailers and I was very pleased with their cooperation and assistance,” Rees said.

Ordered to close
Months of speculation about the jail’s fate ended last Friday after a brief hearing on the issue before Franklin Circuit Court Judge William Graham. The DOC filed a lawsuit against Taylor, Whitley County Judge-Executive Mike Patrick and the county’s fiscal court, seeking a restraining order to close the jail.
An inspection of the jail in April uncovered numerous violations and safety issues at the jail. Rees ordered it closed May 16, but gave Whitley County officials a chance to correct problems after an administrative hearing May 24. The Whitley County Fiscal Court hired Forest Sexton, a veteran retired corrections employee, but Sexton said he was unable to improve conditions at the jail because Taylor subverted his efforts. In a bitter five-page letter to Rees, Sexton detailed authority conflicts with Taylor, as well as problems with drug use and drug dealing at the jail, among other problems. The letter sparked the suit said Jeff Middendorf, an attorney for the Department of Corrections.
“When it comes to jails in Kentucky, the commissioner is the king,” Graham said from the bench during the hearing. “When he says close, you close. Sometimes, the commissioner tries to be a nice guy and help you, but when he let’s the ax fall, it seems harsh, but that is his job … that is his power.”
Barbourville attorney Randy Jewell, who represented Taylor at the hearing, argued that all the violations at the jail did not rise to the level of “immediate and irreparable harm” and said Taylor was not given notice, by certified mail, that the jail was to close, as the law requires. He also questioned Sexton’s observations about the jail and said he was not a legally qualified inspector.
“There was no final order issued. It is our position there is not even an order in force,” Jewell said.
Graham said Taylor could file a motion asking for a hearing to determine if Rees’ decision to close the jail was arbitrary, but would not hear testimony last Friday.
After the hearing, Jewell called the proceeding unfair and said he may file an appeal.
“I always thought we fought a war to do away with kings,” Jewell said of Graham’s comments. “We had to defend a lawsuit on 36 hours notice and we’ve been denied a hearing. I guess the only thing we can do is appeal. That’s our only alternative. The judge had already predetermined that he was going to close the jail.”
Whitley County Magistrate Wayne Wilson said after the hearing he did not favor the county filing an appeal to the decision.

The aftermath
Taylor, in his second term as the county’s Jailer, said he thinks closure of the jail was politically motivated and called Sexton a liar.
“I don’t think you want to hear what I think about that,” Taylor said of the order to close the jail. “They are trying to run me out of the jail, plain and simple.”
Taylor said claims that the jail is filthy and dangerous are overblown.
“Our jail is clean and it’s efficient,” he said. “It’s safe …there’s no hazard about that jail whatsoever. If they’ve got any means or measures where we can do better, I’ll look at it.”
Taylor said he and Sexton had a “disagreement” over who could hire and fire employees, but quoted a portion of a letter by Sexton that said the jail was in compliance. He said Sexton had threatened to fire some employees if they did not do what he said.
Sexton tendered his resignation Monday.
At a press conference after the hearing, Rees said he was aware of a Kentucky State Police investigation into activities at the jail. There was no indication as of Tuesday if charges from that investigation would be brought against either Taylor or any jail employees.
Rees said contraband found at the jail during its closure was turned over to KSP, but it wasn’t likely anyone would face criminal charges since it is difficult to connect any of it with any particular inmate.
According to Whitley County Sheriff Lawrence Hodge, suspects arrested were being taken to jails in Laurel, Bell and Clay Counties. By state statute, it is the responsibility of counties to transport prisoners. As of Monday, the city of Williamsburg was transporting its own prisoners to Clay County. Corbin Police Chief Carson Mullins said his officers were leaving it up to the county to decide how they wanted to transport suspects.
Mullins said everyone arrested over the weekend and Monday was able to bond out immediately, saving the need for a lengthy trip.
“We’ve been very lucky,” he said. “We aren’t going to be that lucky forever.”
Hodge said his department would be stuck with the task of transporting prisoners, but said he needs more vehicles and personnel to do so.
“If I don’t do it, a judge will order me to,” Hodge said. “I need more manpower. I can’t just make it appear. They are trying to make some accommodations for me, I think.”
“I think this whole things is just embarrassing,” Hodge added. “It’s ridiculous. How did it ever get this far? The people of Whitley County are the ones suffering for this.”
Whitley County Attorney Paul Winchester said county leaders would be weighing their options regarding an appeal and what should be done with the jail. It could be reopened as a multi-county facility. He added that Taylor, since he has no jail to run, could be utilized to transport prisoners.