Lincoln County Jail seeing steady increase of inmates

By BETHANY ROLFSON

The Western News

A sudden rise in felonies, break-ins and violent crimes has the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office perplexed and busy.

The Lincoln County Jail has experienced a large number of inmates for a few months. The jail was built to house 25 inmates, and has a maximum capacity of 40 inmates. According to Undersheriff Brandon Huff, they’re numbers average 30-35. 

“We’ve been experiencing an almost full capacity for a while now,” Huff said. “It would be nice for me to put a finger on why we’re experiencing this.”

One of the theories Huff had is that they’ve been having an increase in felonies and violent felonies, but a decline in misdemeanors. 

According to Huff, the larger capacity of inmates also negatively impacts their funding. 

The Lincoln County dispatch has been receiving numerous calls regarding break-ins into storage facilities. In some cases, individuals have broken the locks to break in and stolen items.

Huff also said in regards to the recent rise in break-ins into storage facilities, that they have made arrests and are looking into the crimes.