Sheriff and commission chairman say acquiring land is the first step toward building a new detention center
The Escambia County (Ala.) Commission has taken the first step toward building a new detention center with the purchase of a 177-acre track of land behind the Brewton Industrial Park.
The county paid $512,000 for the property that Sheriff Heath Jackson said is an ideal place to locate a new county jail.
“This is the first step in hopes of building a new county jail,” Jackson said. “It's in a perfect place, out of public view and won't be directly downtown.”
Jackson said one of many major issues with the current facility is the ability of people to simply walk up and toss contraband...