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35 inmates from Ottawa County were moved into the Washington County Detention Center in Bartlesville last Friday.

Their stay, however, is tentative. Washington County Sheriff Scott Owen said they are housing the inmates while the Ottawa County Jail goes through repairs. He said a fire damaged the building a few months ago and they are just now getting to work on it.

Moving forward, an inter-local agreement between Washington County and Ottawa County will be in the works. District One Commissioner Mitch Antle said these standard agreements they put into place when  they house inmates are for the protection of the citizens of Washington County.

Commissioner Antle said the agreement with Ottawa County will be similar to the one that was in place when Washington County housed 18 Nowata County inmates almost a year ago. Then, a gas leak caused the Nowata County Jail to be evacuated, and the inmates stayed in the Washington County Detention Center for approximately two months.

Ottawa County's inmates are expected to be released back to the Ottawa County Jail on Tuesday or Wednesday. An agreement could be presented to the Washington County Commissioners next Monday.

You can find Friday's report on the matter concerning the move of Ottawa County's inmates to the Washington County Detention Center here.