Jailer

Gabriel Owens has been dismissed as a deputy jailer at the Lincoln County Regional Jail and charged with promoting contraband in the second degree, according to a news release issued by the jail Saturday. Captain Justin Parsons with the jail's Internal Affairs Unit charged Owens on Thursday. Owens is the second employee at the facility charged in recent weeks as part of an ongoing investigation that first resulted in the arrest of former deputy jailer Justin Pearson. Officials say more charges and arrests are expected.

LANCASTER - Garrard County Jailer Kevin Middleton is suing Fiscal Court, alleging he is owed thousands of dollars in back pay and is currently being paid a salary less than allowed by law. The lawsuit, filed last week in Garrard Circuit Court, seeks to settle a dispute over Middleton's pay since he was appointed jailer to replace the retiring Kenny Tuggle in January 2009 and since he won election to the office in January 2011. It claims Middleton's salary of $20,000 a year is unconstitutional because it does not meet the $31,000 annual salary being paid to Tuggle when he retired.

To the editor: Jessamine County voters have an opportunity to elect a jailer who has a proven record of excellence in our community for more than 25 years. John Branscum has been involved in our community and has served on numerous boards and committees during his many years of service. Unlike his opponent for the office of Jessamine jailer, who never attended or got involved in anything in our community until he decided to run for office, Branscum has been working to make our community a better place to live for nearly three decades.

Dear Editor, I am a retired corrections officer and a retired chief deputy of the Lincoln County Regional Jail under jailer Gary Jenkins. I was the chief deputy when our current jailer, David Gooch, came to work at the jail in 1997 as a deputy jailer. Gooch was a fast learner and soon became an excellent deputy. I was impressed with his education and prior experience as a lawyer, but when he filed to run for jailer on the platform that was basically “we don’t need a new jail, we need a new jailer,” I did not support him, because the jail was so old, outdated and falling apart that I was sure the Department of Corrections would soon shut it down.

To the editor: Jon Sallee is the father of three little girls and one on the way. He works two jobs to provide for his family. But he doesn’t go to work every day to just any job. He chooses to be a public servant, risking his life for the safety of his family and this community. Throughout his career, he has gone beyond the call of duty for proving his dedication to the people of Jessamine County and central Kentucky. These acts have been recognized 12 times nationally and locally.

To the editor: I have worked relentless hours during this election because as a sheriff’s deputy, I know first hand the changes that need to happen at the jail and I believe in my vision for the Jessamine County Detention Center. During this campaign, I have faced criticism from my opponent; although most accusations are not worth a response, I would like to address one issue that was mentioned several times: “lack of administrative experience.” This is a crucial point because it is the core difference between us as candidates and will be the difference in us as jailer.

To the editor: What makes me the best choice for your next jailer? My wife and I are raising our family here and we want the best for our community. I’ve been an active member of this community for many years and will continue to be after this election. I was blessed having parents with strong family values who taught me to respect other people, even if I didn’t agree with what they stood for. I have the supervisory and management experience to take on the challenges awaiting our next jailer.

A former prisoner has filed a lawsuit against Clark County Jailer Bobby Stone and two deputies after he was assaulted by three cellmates. Anthony Lee, 43, of 8 Wainscott Ave., claims he was lodged in the jail on Nov. 21, 2011, and placed in cell 98 with three other prisoners. Lee said he was booked at the jail shortly after 7 p.m., and was assaulted by three cellmates about four hours later. Lee said he did nothing to provoke the attack and was seriously injured, but specific injuries were not listed.

Just over three months into his term as Jessamine County jailer, Jon Sallee has started to implement plans in an effort to wipe out drugs at the detention center. “We all knew during the election that contraband was an issue — drugs in the jail and things of that nature,” Sallee said. “The first thing I did was take all the work-release inmates and weekend inmates and moved them to the RCC (restricted-custody center) building, which is located next door.” Sallee said typically, contraband items are brought into the jail through those types of inmates.

Jessamine County Fiscal Court magistrates got a first-hand look Tuesday at the inside of the Jessamine County Detention Center and some of the reasons the jailer says the building is in need of upgrades and an expansion. So far this year, the center has averaged 176 inmates per day, jailer Jon Sallee said. It is designed to hold no more than 138. It has held as many as 200 at one time since the beginning of the year, he said.  The jail has just two isolation cells, one for men and one for women, when it should have separate cells for intoxicated inmates.

A former prisoner has filed a lawsuit against Clark County Jailer Bobby Stone and two deputies after he was assaulted by three cellmates. Anthony Lee, 43, of 8 Wainscott Ave., claims he was lodged in the jail on Nov. 21, 2011, and placed in cell 98 with three other prisoners. Lee said he was booked at the jail shortly after 7 p.m., and was assaulted by three cellmates about four hours later. Lee said he did nothing to provoke the attack and was seriously injured, but specific injuries were not listed.

The citizens of Boyle and Washington counties deserve representation in Frankfort that actually works for them on a daily basis. The man best capable of doing that for us is Barry Harmon. I've known Barry since 1965. We were neighbors and formed a strong friendship. We work closely on the Boyle County Fiscal Court where I am a magistrate and he is in his third term as Boyle County jailer. Barry led the way in forming the Boyle County Substance Abuse Program - the first in the nation to have round-the-clock mental health triage to identify problems and get help early on so these individuals become productive members of society.

STANFORD - A former Lincoln Deputy Jailer will be spending some time on the other side of the bars. Scott Roberts of Waynesburg has pleaded guilty to sexual misconduct for having sex with an inmate while he was a deputy jailer at the Lincoln County Regional Jail. Roberts was sentenced to two years probation, beginning with 10 days in jail and 30 days of house arrest. Lincoln Jailer David Gooch said Roberts will be housed somewhere besides Lincoln County for his jail time.

Lincoln County Regional Jail's currently stable financials may not look so good later this year if local prisoners continue to crowd out revenue-generating state inmates, Jailer David Gooch told Lincoln Fiscal Court Tuesday. Three-fourths of the way through the fiscal year, the jail has spent approximately $25,592 less than it has taken in, according to Gooch's quarterly report. Medical expenses in particular have been very low, Gooch said. At this point in the previous fiscal year, the jail had spent almost $147,000 in medical services and supplies, according to the report.

Jessamine County Jailer Jon Sallee said he is making good on his fiscally conservative campaign promises and moving forward on a project he expects to save taxpayers thousands of dollars a year. On a small piece of county-owned land down Sugar Creek Pike on Hickory Creek, Sallee has started a garden on a remote hilly patch that is cared for by inmates. “I didn't think of it; there are several other counties doing it,” he said. “I think it's a good thing, something Jessamine County needs to do.” The jailer is following the lead of other Kentucky counties that earn as much $10,000 a year by selling the produce they grow at fair-market price, Sallee said.

Gabriel Owens has been dismissed as a deputy jailer at the Lincoln County Regional Jail and charged with promoting contraband in the second degree, according to a news release issued by the jail Saturday. Captain Justin Parsons with the jail's Internal Affairs Unit charged Owens on Thursday. Owens is the second employee at the facility charged in recent weeks as part of an ongoing investigation that first resulted in the arrest of former deputy jailer Justin Pearson. Officials say more charges and arrests are expected.

LANCASTER - Garrard County Jailer Kevin Middleton is suing Fiscal Court, alleging he is owed thousands of dollars in back pay and is currently being paid a salary less than allowed by law. The lawsuit, filed last week in Garrard Circuit Court, seeks to settle a dispute over Middleton's pay since he was appointed jailer to replace the retiring Kenny Tuggle in January 2009 and since he won election to the office in January 2011. It claims Middleton's salary of $20,000 a year is unconstitutional because it does not meet the $31,000 annual salary being paid to Tuggle when he retired.

Saturday, Lincoln County Deputy Jailer Justin Lee Pearson, 21, was arrested and charged with trafficking in a controlled substance and promoting contraband within the Lincoln Regional Detention Center. Jailer David Gooch said that he had received information that Pearson was involved in trafficking contraband in the jail and was planning on picking up the drugs on Saturday. A third party placed the drugs in a soft drink vending machine outside of the courthouse and Pearson was observed picking up the drugs and returning to the jail where he was confronted.