WOODWARD, Okla. (AP) — Woodward County Sheriff Gary Stanley says he has responded the only way he can to a notice from state officials that his jail is overcrowded.
He has told them that a new jail is being built.
Stanley said the state Health Department presented him with the notice last week when an inspection found the jail at 17 inmates over its 41-inmate limit.
The new jail will have about 125 beds. It is estimated to cost $10 million and is being paid for through an increase in the sales tax.
The county tries to use jails in other counties to reduce overcrowding. The sheriff said the jail was overcrowded recently because jails in Custer and Harper counties couldn't house any more from Woodward County.
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Information from: The Woodward News, http://www.woodwardnews.net
