Costs for Housing DeKalb Inmates Elsewhere Already Exceeding County Budget for 2024-25

December 23, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

Although anticipated, the costs of housing DeKalb County inmates in other counties has become expensive and that cost is growing.

During Thursday night’s committee meeting of the whole, Sheriff Patrick Ray updated the county commission on the expense to date as requested.

“For the last two years we have been very lucky. We have either stayed with that (budget) or if we didn’t, I have pulled money from somewhere else (within budget) to cover it so we would not have to come back for more money to come out of the general fund,” said Sheriff Ray.

This year, expenditures for housing inmates out of the county have exceeded the budgeted allocation of $60,000 for the year 2024-25. According to Sheriff Ray, the total cost from July 1, 2024 through December 17, 2024 is $129,304 with more December bills coming and from that $60,000 allocation also comes the expenses ($3,086 to date) for interpreters, heating and air services and the fire alarm system at the jail, and charges for advertising. This also includes community probation ankle monitoring fees but does not take into account the back-and-forth inmate transportation costs for an officer, vehicles, tires, oil changes, etc.

Adding to the financial concerns are the increased inmate medical costs. Already $89,990 has been paid out from the $100,000 budgeted line item for medical and dental services for 2024-25. Sheriff Ray explained that outstanding medical bills on hand as of Thursday, December 19 are $228, 653 (without any reductions) with many more medical bills to come in. “The best reduction we could expect to get is 40%,” he said.

Although some inmates have private insurance or TennCare others don’t which adds to the county’s financial woes.

“I was notified Wednesday from a medical company that we have an inmate in jail that will be getting $2,300 worth of medication every month. It’s a high dollar med for a certain disease he has and there’s probably no way of him getting out (jail) anytime soon,” he explained.

Sheriff Ray gave another example for an uptick in medical costs.

“Many times, when we send an inmate to another county as soon as they get sick they (other county) take them to the emergency room whereas with inmates in this county, if they need a medical furlough, we may be able to get one for them as recommended by our nurse and approved by the judge,” said Sheriff Ray.

Since July 1, 2024 the county has been paying Robertson, Smith, Cannon, Putnam, and Bedford counties for housing local prisoners and although in the past a few counties have kept inmates at no charge, Sheriff Ray said he will no longer ask any county to continue doing that.

“I will not call another county and say hey, can you house our inmates, for $20,000 a month, for nothing. That’s not right for their taxpayers to do that. The favors I pull are those that if we have somebody that can’t go in our jail I beg somebody to house them. If it were not for Bedford and Putnam County we would be in a pickle,” said Sheriff Ray.

During Monday Night’s regular monthly meeting (December 23), the county commission will consider adopting a budget amendment for $100,000 from the fund balance of the general fund to help cover the overage. The meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the county complex.

After receiving news in August 2023, from the Tennessee Corrections Institute that the number of state certifiable beds at the DeKalb County Jail had to be reduced from 102 to 52. Sheriff Ray has been sending some inmates to other counties willing to take them for a daily fee.

The TCI Board of Control met Wednesday, December 4, 2024 in Nashville and voted to continue certification of the DeKalb County Jail for another year under a plan of action upon the recommendation of TCI Deputy Director Bob Bass. The facility still has only 52 certifiable beds for male inmates.

A “plan of action” allows a facility to maintain a certified status after failing to meet all minimum standards while demonstrating to the TCI Board of Control that the facility is making measurable progress over a period of time (months or years) to rectify deficiencies found during inspection.

The DeKalb County Jail Committee will meet again with Bass on January 6 to discuss the county’s next move on possibly building a new jail facility.

December 23, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

A long time member of the DeKalb County Emergency Communications District (911) Board is stepping down.

Jerry Scott, who has served on the 911 board for 22 years, has announced his resignation. The board has nominated Hugh Washer to fill the two year unexpired term of Scott. The county commission is expected to confirm the appointment during Monday night’s monthly meeting.

Scott is also a former county commissioner from the 3rd district having served 24 years. He left that office in August 2014.

December 22, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

The Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility has reportedly been made aware of a criminal indictment returned last week by the DeKalb County Grand Jury against Chris Stanford, the District Attorney General of the 31st Judicial District in a November shots fired incident in Smithville during the apprehension of suspects in a Warren County triple murder.

DeKalb County’s District Attorney General Bryant Dunaway of the 13th Judicial District confirmed for the Southern Standard Friday that he has informed the TBPR’s ethics panel of Stanford’s indictment. The Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility is a division of the Tennessee Supreme Court.

After the sealed indictment was handed down last Monday, Stanford turned himself into authorities and posted a $10,000 bond. He will be arraigned in DeKalb County Criminal Court on January 7. Stanford is facing charges of reckless endangerment and discharging a firearm into an occupied habitation.

The indictment alleges that “ On or about the 21st day of November, 2024 in DeKalb County, Stanford did unlawfully intentionally, and recklessly discharge a handgun while standing on Bell Street, a residential street in Smithville, causing a bullet to be projected from the muzzle of the handgun, strike and pass through a patio chair on the exterior wall of the habitation and travel into the habilitation striking and coming to rest in the interior living room wall. At the time the bullet was discharged into the habitation, the home was occupied by Teresa Estep and three minor children, placing those persons in imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury. Evidence further indicates that when the bullet was discharged into the occupied habitation, there was no immediate threat to Christopher Stanford or others, that Stanford was not aiming the handgun, that he did not make use of the gun’s sights but just held it out and shot”.

Since the incident, Estep has come forward to say that she was glad Stanford has been charged alleging that he put her family in more danger noting that one of her children was standing only a couple of feet from where the bullet entered, and that the incident could have ended very badly.

In 1976, the Tennessee Supreme Court created the Board of Professional Responsibility to aid in supervising the ethical conduct of attorneys.

The board’s Disciplinary Counsel investigates complaints alleging unethical conduct. After investigation, the Disciplinary Counsel recommends dismissal of the complaint if there is insufficient proof of a violation of the Rules of Professional Conduct. If the investigated complaint reflects a violation of the Rules of Professional Conduct, the Disciplinary Counsel recommends diversion, private informal admonition, private reprimand, public censure, or the filing of formal disciplinary charges.

After the Board of Professional Responsibility authorizes the Disciplinary Counsel to file formal disciplinary charges (i.e. a petition for discipline) against an attorney, the matter is assigned to three district committee members who constitute a hearing panel. The Hearing Panel sets the disciplinary proceeding for a hearing which is open to the public unless a protective order has been entered.

The Board of Professional Responsibility must prove an attorney’s unethical conduct by a preponderance of the evidence. Hearing Panels may recommend dismissal, public censure, suspension or disbarment.

Sheriff Patrick Ray said the investigation of Stanford was conducted by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation at the request of District Attorney General Dunaway.

The shots fired incident occurred during the apprehension of 28-year-old Caleb Dias Brookins and Jessica Root, wanted by the Warren County Sheriff’s Department as suspects in the triple murder, and 21-year-old Hannah McKenzi Rose of Hickory Hollow Terrace in Antioch, Tennessee. Rose was charged locally by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department with aggravated assault on a first responder and evading arrest in a motor vehicle.

During the episode, Sheriff Ray said a Homeland Security agent from Warren County sustained a leg injury after being struck by a vehicle trying to make a getaway being driven by Rose with Brookins as her passenger. Before that, Rose rammed a DeKalb Sheriff’s Department truck operated by Chief Deputy Brian Williams with Detective Stephen Barrett as a passenger, but they were not injured. Although no one else was hurt, Sheriff Ray said Stanford, the Warren County District Attorney fired shots on Rose’s vehicle. Neither the vehicle nor the suspects were hit by the gunfire. However, according to the TBI the shots fired by Stanford struck a home occupied by a woman and her three children. They too were apparently not injured. Brookins fled on foot but was taken into custody a couple of hours later without incident by TBI. Brookins was found near Bell Street on Wade Street walking down the road. He was unarmed. According to Sheriff Ray, one of the suspects (Root) had lived here at one time and she has family here.

« First ‹ Previous 1 4 12 13 1415 16 24 114 2505 Next › Last »