KLICKITAT COUNTY — Klickitat County Sheriff Bob Songer said he was blindsided by the Klickitat County Commission’s 2-1 vote on March 29 to pursue closing the county jail and sending inmates to the Northern Oregon Regional Correctional Facility (NORCOR) in The Dalles.
In a vitriolic April 13 press release, Songer accused Commission Chair Lori Zoller and Commissioner Jacob Anderson of being “either bungling incompetents or intentionally lying to the public and Sheriff’s Office.”
In emails to Columbia Gorge News, Anderson and Zoller expressed their disappointment in Songer’s accusations.
“It’s disappointing to see such inflammatory rhetoric from the Sheriff’s Office. My focus is on serving the community, not engaging in personal attacks,” Anderson said via email.
“I am sorry that Sheriff Songer sinks to name calling and finger pointing,” added Zoller, also via email. “I think it is time we remember there are serious items that are the focus here: health and safety within the jail, a series of serious events within the jail and systemic budget problems resulting from overspending with money management issues within the Sheriff Department.”
The jail typically holds around 30 inmates and has 16 personnel.
Songer’s release said Commissioner Dan Christopher was also blindsided by the decision. In an email to Columbia Gorge News, Christopher agreed, saying, “I was blindsided and I feel it was intentional. That being said, the [Board of County Commissioners] had not discussed closing the jail in my presence.”
In an email to Columbia Gorge News, Zoller refuted those claims, saying “extreme budget overspending” by the sheriff’s office had been discussed for several years by the county commission. She said the public expects commissioners “to do our homework.” She urged Christopher to reach out to NORCOR for his own meetings and fact finding. “It is not our job to hold his hand.”
Zoller added, “The legal problems surrounding the jail are very public and have been discussed by all the Commissioners in open session as well as Executive session with our legal counsel. I am confused with Mr. Christopher’s sudden switch in participation.”
In January, a family filed a notice of intent to file a $20 million wrongful death suit, saying a family member incarcerated at the jail committed suicide after going through fentanyl withdrawal without adequate medical help.
Songer’s claim that the jail closure proposal stemmed from personal animosity toward Songer by Zoller and Anderson was “a blatant attempt to deflect responsibility,” Anderson said.
Songer said he talked to two law enforcement officials connected to the regional jail and he was told commissioners had recent and “rather casual” contact with NORCOR officials and no commitment had yet been reached to transfer inmates.
Songer said he learned from the discussion that contract costs described would outstrip any savings of closing the jail, that NORCOR could refuse certain inmates, and reaching a contract “to a functional level” could take up to six months.
Songer said this description of recent and “casual” contact between Klickitat County and NORCOR, with no firm date for a transfer, contradicted the April 12 closure date Zoller and Anderson proposed.
Zoller said Songer’s claims that county commissioners were not working with NORCOR “are false.” She said she’s had several meetings with jail management and law enforcement board members, including contract discussions and costs. She said there was never a discussion that it “would take month to complete.” She said April 12 was an “intended date.”
Hood River County Sheriff Matt English, who serves as the oversight sheriff for the regional jail, said in an email to Columbia Gorge News he held an “informal” meeting with the NORCOR jail commander and Zoller on April 1 to cover points such as logistics and costs.
On April 10, English said he met with Songer and Sherman County Sheriff Brad Lohrey to discuss the potential closure of the Klickitat County Jail. He added they also covered logistics and points in the contract to ensure the needs of all parties are met.
According to Zoller, discussions and fact finding began before the March 29 vote to close the jail by April 12. Their vote was intended to open negotiations with NORCOR and the union about the possibility of closing the jail.
“The task force working on fact finding and solutions is doing well,” Zoller said. “We have several partners that we are working with and need to ensure we cover their needs including the cities of White Salmon, Bingen and Goldendale. The State Patrol, courts and the Judges, Department of Corrections and probation services.”
Christopher said the county doesn’t even know if it can send inmates across state lines, if Washington defense attorneys can work in Oregon, or if it would violate inmates’ civil rights.
Zoller responded that all those questions are being looked at by the task force.
“We have researched with the assistance of legal and we have the right under the RCW’s to contract with a neighboring County facility even in another state. We currently house our juvenile offenders at NORCOR,” Zoller said. “It is unfortunate that Mr. Christopher continues to make uneducated statements to the public. In fact, he does know that our task team looking into all sides of this issue has been diligently working to create the information needed for an educated solution.”
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