Commissioners Discuss Inmates and County Jail

Monday at the meeting of the Osage County Board of County Commissioners Heather Barkley from Osage County Heath Department introduced a proposed new employee, Brett Selvidge from Samaritan EMS provided his monthly report, and Sheriff Eddie Virden discussed Courthouse safety and County Jail repair.

Heather Barkley from Osage County Health Department introduced Morgan Shuping Monday morning. Shuping spent the previous six months working for the Health Department as an intern and headed the LoCo Fit program in Skiatook to encourage healthy living. Barkley praised Shuping for her hard work and wanted to bring her on full time, a contract will be presented at the next meeting.

Brett Selvidge of Samaritan EMS started his monthly presentation stating that the call volume for the month of December was down, however it is not uncommon during the holiday season. Selvidge presented the trends, which have stayed consistent, that the majority of Samaritans calls come from Barnsdall, on Wednesday, and are primarily injury related rather than medical.

Osage County Sheriff Eddie Virden brought before the commissioners two items this week. The first was a safety and legality concern when bringing inmates to the Osage County Courthouse, the second was a necessary repair to the sewage system at the Osage County Jail.

Virden said when inmates are brought to the courthouse jury members are not allowed to see them chained, shackled, or cuffed, otherwise the case could be deemed a mistrial. However there is not currently a location or system in place for inmates to be unshackled before being brought into the Courthouse. Virden's recommendation was to build an inexpensive garage or shed, along with a sally port, to unshackle inmates outside the employee entrance then lead them into the Courthouse. The Commissioners agreed however said they would need quotes before action could be taken.

The second item was a sewer issue at the Osage County Jail, where the plumbing is beginning to deteriorate and work must be done quickly before the system collapses. Virden was able to collect several quotes, however due to the great variation in price points additional research must be conducted, both items were tabled until the next meeting of the Osage County Board of County Commissioners next week.