Published May 11, 2021 •
Updated on May 11, 2021 at 10:17 am
NBC 5 News
Tarrant County Jail is currently reporting no COVID-19 cases at the facility.
The jail is the only major county jail in Texas reporting zero cases for counties with populations over one million, though other major counties are also seeing success with low COVID numbers, Tarrant County said.
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The Texas Commission on Jail Standards records and reports positive COVID cases in jails around the State.
Local
BELTON â For Maj. Shane Sowell, the new jail administrator for Bell County, the move to the area is both about family and about a new challenge.
Sowell, who is coming from Laredo, will take over the management of the countyâs two jails and coordinate the officers who handle local courts and inmates.
Before joining the Bell County Sheriffâs Department, which oversees the jail, Sowell worked all around Texas. He has served as a jail administrator in Lamb County as well as an inspector for the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, covering 60 counties and 64 facilities.
Jeff Buuck, chief deputy of the department, said Sowell caught the departmentâs attention early on due to his experience in the field.
Polls open Saturday for Coryell County bond election | Copperas Cove Leader Press coveleaderpress.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from coveleaderpress.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Fri, 2021-04-30 16:02 david morris
By BRITTANY FHOLER
Coryell County Sheriff Scott Williams gave media outlets a tour of the county jail Monday afternoon and shared more information on the current needs that the jail and county are facing.
Williams and his staff were notified last week that the Coryell County Jail was found out of compliance due to overcrowding by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, following a surprise inspection on April 14.
Previously, TCJS had requested that the Coryell County Sheriff’s Office provide to the state weekly reports on population numbers within the jail, including those inmates who are “paper ready” to be sent to Texas Department of Criminal Justice facilities. On April 8, 2021, Coryell County had provided the requested information, where it was determined that their population was 103, which was over the rated facility capacity number of 92. Upon further review, it was revealed Coryell County had been h
With early voting over and the polls set to open at 7 a.m. Saturday, the architect for the proposed new Coryell County Jail explained why building a brand new facility would be the most beneficial option for the county.
What is at stake is whether to allow the county to issue general obligation bonds in the amount of $30.9 million for the construction of the jail.
If the measure passes, it is still up to the countyâs court of commissioners to act on it.
Jeff Heffelfinger, president of Southwest Architects, based out of Cresson, said when his company was hired by the county, he was hired to design a new facility.