Old County Jail Demolition - WMBB News 13 - The Panhandle's News Leader

It's a building that's been around since the 1940's, now Jackson County is saying goodbye to the Old County Jail.

"It's been unoccupied for a couple years now," say County Administrator Ted Lakey. "It's time to bring it down so it wont be a safety hazard for the community."

The facility housed not only the inmates, but it served as a hub for the Jackson County Sheriff's Office for many years, where current Sheriff Lou Roberts began his career in law enforcement.

Sheriff Lou Roberts has several prominent memories from working at the old jail, including a nearby fire.

"We had to get the inmates out of the County Jail. We handcuffed them together one to one. And led them out in a single file because of smoke and the flames," says Roberts.

Sheriff Roberts also remembers a situation where an inmate escaped. "Three inmates over-powered a guard. Took his communications. Stole a nearby truck, and later were captured that night," says Roberts.

Over the years, the building has been used for several things, including housing the Emergency Operations Center.

Now, the County Commission is spending 70 thousand dollars to tear the facility down. The metal from the building will be recycled which will provide a cost savings incentive.

Once the building is gone, the County is hoping to expand the parking for downtown Marianna.

"We've got a parking lot renovation project also in the works. I'm thinking we can demo this building, and we can expand that project in the future," says Lakey.

The projected is expected to be finished within two weeks.