Inmates short-sheet jail’s septic system

By BRAD DICKERSON
Glasgow Daily Times

GLASGOW August 20, 2008 01:53 pm

— Inmates may have flushed away any hope of having some new rules relaxed at the county jail.
Bedsheets at the Barren County Correctional Center were flushed down a toilet in “retaliation” against new rules, said Barren County Sheriff Chris Eaton, who is also serving as interim jailer. He said water at the jail had been off since Sunday as crews worked to clear the blocked line.
Water service was restored Tuesday night, said Deputy Matt Mutter with the Barren County Sheriff’s Department.
Rodney Ballard, deputy commissioner with the Kentucky Department of Corrections, was at the jail Tuesday to view progress on efforts to restore water service. He said a plumbing apparatus generally referred to as a “snake” was used in an effort to clear the blocked line. The snake got stuck in the pipes. A local contractor, Lyons Company, was brought in to dig up the floor to release the apparatus and clear the pipe.
Mutter said a combination of kitchen grease and pieces of sheets contributed to the blocked pipes.
“The grease has accumulated inside the pipes and it’s making the pipe more narrow on the inside,” he said.
He said there is no way to identify which inmates are responsible for flushing the sheets.
“The sheets are not assigned to any certain inmate,” he said. “Everybody’s sheets look the same. We don’t have any way to identify who (did) it, so we can’t file charges.”
Ballard said portable toilets and showers have been brought in, the Salvation Army is preparing meals for the inmates, laundry is being handled off site and roughly 20 prisoners have been shipped to surrounding counties.
“All the inmates’ care has been taken care of,” he said.

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