Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

NATCHEZ — After a sometimes raucous discussion, the Adams County Board of Supervisors chose a delegation of two supervisors, Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten and his two chief deputies and County Attorney Scott Slover, to seek a meeting with Concordia Parish Sheriff David Hedrick to discuss issues involving the Adams County Jail.

Board President and District 2 Supervisor Kevin Wilson and District 4 Supervisor Ricky Gray will be the two supervisors in the meeting.

The discussion was precipitated in part by Raven Campbell-Smith’s recent resignation as the county’s nurse practitioner. During his report to the board, Patten asked what the county would do about having medical personnel for the jail inmates after Campbell-Smith’s last day, which is currently set for April 11.

Wilson and District 1 Supervisor Wes Middleton have long contended that when the decision was made to house Adams County prisoners at Concordia Parish’s jail facility, they thought the Adams County Jail would close completely. That has not happened. Both say the county cannot continue to fund a jail in Adams County and pay to house prisoners in Concordia Parish.

Patten closed the jail to the majority of inmates in August 2023 after a security breach at the jail. However, as many as 30 inmates at any one time continue to be housed in the Adams County Jail. Those are inmates who are trusties, who are considered short term and those who deputies deem would be in danger if they were put in the general population of the Concordia Parish facility, Patten said.

The Adams County Jail only houses pre-trial inmates, meaning those who have not had their day in court.

Wilson originally suggested Monday to have the discussion between two supervisors, Patten and Concordia Parish’s Hedrick in order to remove obstacles to completely shutting down the Adams County Jail. However, Gray said not all supervisors are on board with completely shutting down the county’s jail.

“Sheriff, I understand it may be a logistical nightmare, but what we are trying to do is get the county absolved of a lot of liability,” Wilson said. “By having that building still over there (holding inmates), it seems like we are duplicating a lot of services.”

Patten said his department cannot afford to lose more staff. “You have already cut us by eight staff members in the jail,” he said.

Chief Deputy Stanley Searcy said the current jail staffing is only two people per shift.

“You need someone in that jail 24-7. They have to be booked in at the Adams County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies are always arresting people and bringing them into the jail,” Searcy said. “We average on the weekends five to 10 arrests, and most of those don’t bond right out. They have to stay until they see the judge.”

“That’s why we are discussing this. How can we do this differently? Adams County is going broke paying for a jail here and paying for inmates to be held over there. It’s draining your budget (sheriff’s budget) and it’s draining our budget,” Wilson said.

District 3 Supervisor Angela Hutchins said the solution to the issue is to build a new jail.

Middleton asked how the county would pay for a new jail.

“A $30 million jail at a five percent interest rate over 30 years — do you know how much money that is? That’s $160,000 a month. That is crazy,” Middleton said.

Gaines said it’s time to find a solution.

“We know we need a jail. We know we have a problem. We have been here two or three times. We are spending money. We’ve got to figure it out.”

Gaines suggested quickly getting numbers on what it would cost to build a new jail.

“Truth be told, everything you said, we are working on now. That’s why we are looking at the sites, the soil testing and that’s also why we have engaged several builders to get us prices on what it would cost,” Patten said.

“The reality is, what we are spending on maintenance and what we are spending sending people across the river… I feel like we can pay for a facility based on that if you build it the way it needs to be built and have additional space to house inmates for other people. Other people will pay for that jail if y’all actually listen to that portion of it,” Patten said.

He also said supervisors should consider that the order issued by Sixth District Circuit Court Judge Debra Blackwell to allow the county to house pre-trial inmates in Louisiana was an emergency order.

“How long is that going to be good for housing people across the river?” Patten asked. “We don’t know what is going to happen in Louisiana. We don’t know what is going to happen in Mississippi in terms of housing inmates across state lines. When is it not going to be an emergency?”

Are inmates in danger?

Gray said he is concerned about the safety of Adams County inmates who are held in the Concordia Parish facility.

“Y’all don’t get the calls I get from family members of inmates going over there and getting beaten half to death. I get those calls. They don’t call y’all. It’s not safe over there,” Gray said.

“It’s not safe over here, either,” Wilson countered.

“I know damn well it’s not safe over there because they beat the hell out of people every damn day and they aren’t calling y’all. They are calling me,” Gray said. “Look at the nurse practitioner bill and how it went up because of the broken noses and all the other stuff that the people are getting over there. I want to do the best for the county, but I don’t want to put them in a situation where they are going to lose their life.”

Wilson said the issue of building a new county jail should be put before county residents as a referendum.

Patten said such would not be a good idea.

“Because you wouldn’t get it,” Wilson said. “Taxpayers don’t want to absorb any more of these costs.”

“The county is still liable whether the citizens vote yay or nay,” Patten said. “Unless you don’t want law enforcement to arrest people. Then, you would be liable for failure to protect.”

“I thought this (housing county inmates in Concordia Parish) was a short-term solution. I’m not going to take all the taxpayers’ money and continue to send it over there,” Gray said.