County of bank: Benton County
Location of bank: 174 W. Washington St. & Van Buren St., Warsaw
"WARSAW, Mo — Over-crowded and underfunded. That’s the situation for Sheriff Eric Knox and the Benton county jail.
"Residents near Truman Lake will see a 1/2 cent sales tax proposal on April’s ballot. The funds would construct a new 10-million dollar facility.
"Colleen Kelley has been serving hard time for nearly a month as a detainee in the Benton County jail. She’s awaiting trial for probation violation and drug possession.
'“With the jailors [sic] and the people here, I would rather be in this jail than any other jail I’ve been in, but the conditions aren’t that great,” she explained while sitting on her bunk.
"A flat-screen TV can be seen in the women’s downstairs dormitory, but that’s as modern as you’ll get.
"150 years hasn’t been kind to this building, constructed in 1856 and converted to a jail in 1912.
'“So I guess this is considered clean?,” I asked.
'“Yes. We actually just used a whole bunch of bleach, and cleaned the whole bathroom last night. We sleep and we clean as much as we can.”
"In the men’s quarters, recently completed jigsaw puzzles provide fresh paint on walls more than a century old.
"“We have a small underfunded sheriff’s office, but we have big city crime here,” said Sheriff Eric Knox.
"Due to a bat infestation and safety concerns, the jail currently has a maximum capacity of just 24. There are tight restrictions on the amount of women that be taken, and there is no way to house violent offenders.
'“It’s pretty understood among the citizens that we definitely need a facility. The question is whether or not we will pass a tax initiative to do it.”
"April voters in Benton County will see a proposal for a 1/2 cent sales tax on their ballot. If approved, it will allow funds to construct a new 10-million dollar facility, up to safety regulations and suitable to the needs of Benton County.
'“If the citizens choose not to pass the tax and not to do the jail, then we will have to look at eventually closing this facility down at some point and do what a lot of other counties do, and send our inmates somewhere else at a huge cost to the taxpayers.”' ~ Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc, KOLR, Ozarks First.com by: Daniel Shedd, Feb 1, 2018