NOXUBEE COUNTY – Any inmates arrested in Noxubee County won’t be held in jail there for the foreseeable future.
Sheriff Tedrick Liddell said after months of consideration, he decided to close the Noxubee County Adult Detention Center in July after long deferred repair needs at the facility finally hit a boiling point, including electrical system issues, backed-up sewer pipes and structural fixes.
     Tedrick Liddell   “I said enough is enough,” Liddell told The Dispatch. “And I knew something had to be done because nobody should have to worry about their loved one living in a condition where sewage (is) coming up through the floors.”
Liddell voiced concerns about the jail’s condition several times this year to the Noxubee County Board of Supervisors, before informing supervisors of his decision at their July 24 meeting, District 5 Supervisor Bruce Brooks told The Dispatch.
Those issues have been patchworked over the years, but Brooks said after touring the facility earlier this year he agreed that it was time for an overhaul.
“There (have) been some problems all along,” Brooks said. “But the problems seem to continue to escalate … and it’s just been one major problem after another.”
The county entered a memorandum of understanding with the Winston County Jail, which will be holding Noxubee County prisoners until the jail is repaired enough to house them again, said Chris Hemphill, Noxubee board attorney. The agreement outlines that the county will pay $25 for each day an inmate is held in Winston County custody, up to 30 days. For every additional day after that period, the amount increases to $32.71.
Liddell said the county has sent 15 inmates over the last three weeks to the Winston Choctaw County Regional Correctional Facility in Louisville. Since that time, about four of them have bonded out, while the rest are still at the facility.
Liddell said Macon and other municipalities in the county are working on similar MOU’s with Winston County for their prisoners since he informed them of the jail’s closing in July.
     Sheriff Tedrick Liddell flips through photos of areas in need of repair Thursday inside the Noxubee County Adult Detention Center. Noxubee County is housing inmates in Winston County until necessary repairs can be made to reopen the Noxubee jail. Braden Simmons/Dispatch Staff   “I met with the (police) chief of Macon and told him that, and he’s working on his MOU with that region,” Liddell said.
Currently, the supervisors’ MOU will remain in effect until it is no longer necessary and the jail reopens, Hemphill said.
In the meantime, Liddell said apart from the jail closure, the Noxubee County Sheriff’s Office plans to continue operating with business as usual.
“We (are) still going to be out (in) full force fighting crime,” Liddell said. “(We are) going to be visible. Patrol is still going to be heavy, and we (are) still holding people accountable.”
Liddell said contractors have begun inspecting the facility to estimate the cost and timeline for repairs.
Liddell expects to have a finalized estimate for plumbing needs and repairs by next week, and will present additional estimates and bids to the board as they are conducted.
Once those estimates are finalized, Brooks said the board will decide whether to fund its renovations.
Brooks said he plans to support those renovations as they make their way to the board, and he hopes other board members will be supportive too.
“Whatever it takes, we need to get it repaired,” Brooks said.
Liddell said his hope is to see these repairs done sooner rather than later to get the jail back operating.
“This jail needs to be back up and running,” Liddell said. “Whatever we need to do, and whatever funding we need to find, and whatever help we need to do. … I’m on board to do what I need to do to get my jail back.”