HUNTINGTON, Ind. (WFFT) — Huntington County Commissioner Larry Buzzard says a housing crisis for prisoners wasn't an isue he thought he'd have to deal with as commissioner, but he says the situation makes it an 'immediate' need.
"We're built to house 90 inmates, we're running anywhere from 120 - 140 on any given day," says Commissioner Buzzard.
Huntington Commissioners are having a public hearing next week on a proposed lease for a $16 million project which would add to the jail, creating room for up to 250 inmates.
"If it gets any larger, we're going to have to move."
Allen County Commissioner Therese Brown says a Jail Overcrowding Task Force created this summer highlighted a number of areas.
A problem many in the area have pointed to is that level-six felons are transferring to county jails instead of state jails.
