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Funding debate turns tense at Big Sandy regional jail
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN PAINTSVILLE — A request for Martin County and three neighboring counties to help pay a $227,374 liability and workers’ compensation insurance premium for the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center opened a wider discussion about the jail’s finances, operating costs and what could happen if a county refused to contribute. During…
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Correctional officer, brother-in-law arrested after fight at regional jail
BY ANNIE HOLLER MOUNTAIN CITIZEN PAINTSVILLE — A correctional officer at the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center and his brother-in-law were arrested after a fight on jail property last week, according to court and jail records. The altercation occurred Feb. 20 when Joseph Harris, 39, of Calf Creek Road in Inez, arrived at the Paintsville…
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Big Sandy Regional Detention Center looks to Floyd County for female officers, cites no ‘hirable’ applicants in four counties
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN PAINTSVILLE — Big Sandy Regional Detention Center will temporarily expand its search for female correctional officers to Floyd County after administrators said the jail has not received “hirable” applicants from Johnson, Lawrence, Magoffin or Martin counties. The jail authority voted 4–3 at its Dec. 18 meeting to approve emergency hiring…
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Counties to pay more for inmate housing
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN PAINTSVILLE — Member counties will pay $5 more per day to house inmates at the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center after the jail’s governing board voted Friday to raise the daily rate to $36.34. The increase came during a special meeting called less than three weeks after auditor Darrell Blair…
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Inmates pay higher fees, jail board tables work-release program
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN PAINTSVILLE — Inmates at the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center now pay a $60 booking fee plus a $10 daily charge. Jail board members voted unanimously Aug. 28 to impose the new costs as a way to shore up declining revenue and address long-standing problems with collecting administrative fees. “$60…
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Regional jail moves to daily inmate fee, approves new budget amid financial strain
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN PAINTSVILLE — Big Sandy Regional Detention Center will replace its flat booking fee with a daily charge starting July 1. Officials say the move will boost revenue as the jail faces a mounting budget deficit and declining inmate population. The board voted Thursday to adopt the new model along with…
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Jail projects $500K deficit
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN PAINTSVILLE — Big Sandy Regional Detention Center is on pace to finish the fiscal year with a deficit of a half million dollars. That information came to light in an April 24 board meeting. The board conducted the first reading of a proposed budget that slashes expenditures but still results…
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Big Sandy Detention Center reviews finances and inmate work detail allotments
Jail has employment positions open BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN PAINTSVILLE — The Big Sandy Regional Detention Center board discussed financial challenges and other business in a special meeting Thursday. The board moved into an executive session to discuss “litigation and personnel” without taking any action. Administrator Byron E. Hansford reported that the facility’s average…
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Big Sandy inmates will receive meds for opioid use disorder
LEXINGTON — United States Attorney Carlton S. Shier IV announced last week that the federal government has reached an agreement with the Big Sandy Regional Jail Authority, which operates the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center, to ensure that people with opioid use disorder (OUD) receive medically appropriate treatment with any FDA-approved medication for OUD, as…
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Inmate captured after brief escape in downtown Inez
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — A jail inmate briefly escaped authorities Thursday outside the Martin County Courthouse, triggering a manhunt in downtown Inez for the 39-year-old escapee. Jeremy Maynard of Lovely was transported from the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center for a court appearance. Upon exiting the courthouse with a group, everyone turned…
