Jail sets record - and it isn't good
JAKE PARRISH/Press file The number of inmates housed at the Kootenai County jail broke records over the weekend. The jail, in this September 2016 file photo, has 327 beds. By Sunday morning there were 439 inmates in custody.
The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office hit record high numbers of inmates in custody over the weekend.
A total of 439 inmates were in custody Sunday morning at the county jail, which has 327 beds. Of those inmates, 342 were being held on felony charges.
“The extra inmates are placed wherever we can find space, on portable and stackable plastic bunk-style beds with mattresses,” said KCSO Det. Dennis Stinebaugh, in a message to The Press.
The number of female inmates in custody over the weekend also broke a record. For the first time, the total number of female inmates exceeded 100, with a total of 105 in custody Sunday morning. Females being held on felony charges made up 84 percent of the total female population.
By Monday afternoon, 329 inmates remained in custody on felony charges, with 51 inmates scheduled to attend their first appearances Monday before a judge.
“Hopefully, a number of them will be able to post bond following their court appearance today,” stated a news release from Sheriff Ben Wolfinger.
To maintain a manageable jail population, Kootenai County has 58 inmates housed outside the county at various other jails including Bonner County in North Idaho and Yakima and Ferry counties in Washtington.
Work on a jail expansion project is scheduled to begin at the end of May and be completed in August 2018.