CHARLESTON, Mo. -- A week after several Mississippi County jail employees reportedly walked off the job, the incident was turned over to the Missouri State Highway Patrol for investigation.
Mississippi County Sheriff Keith Moore said the department met with county commissioners and judges who agreed the issue of leaving doors of the jail open was serious and jeopardized both the prisoners and the citizens.
"We turned it over to the Highway Patrol for investigation," Moore said Thursday afternoon.
About 9 p.m. April 8, the sheriff said he received a phone call from a dispatcher who said they were having trouble with their computers.
"I said: OK. I'll call Capt. (Ken) Story, and he'll be up that way and take care of that and you'll be all right,'" Moore said.
The sheriff said he contacted Story and called back up to the jail to tell the dispatcher, but the employee answering the phone said she was outside.
"I said: 'Let her know that my guys are on the way to take care of the system and everything will be fine," the sheriff said.
Not long after the corporal from the Patrol was trying to text Moore.
"And I came up here (to the jail), and he said: why won't you book this prisoner," Moore said, adding he had not talked to the jail administrator and didn't know what was going on.
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