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35 inmates from Ottawa County remain at the Washington County Detention Center in Bartlesville as the two counties work out a deal.

Almost two weeks ago, Washington County Sheriff Scott Owen said that the WCDC would be holding the inmates for Ottawa County while their jail in Miami undergoes repairs. Sheriff Owen said the Ottawa County jail is still in the repair process.

The Ottawa County Jail suffered fire damages a few months ago and they are just getting around to fixing them. They had to pass a fire inspection with the State of Oklahoma's Fire Marshal's Office, but their fire suppression system failed. More parts were supposed to be ordered toward the end of the week last week to help correct the issue.

Sheriff Owen said Ottawa County expects to have the repairs made as soon as possible so they can pass the inspection and move the inmates back into the jail.

During the Washington County Commissioners meeting on Monday, an agreement was approved. To house the inmates, it will cost Ottawa County $34 per day. They will be responsible for any medical issues that may arise. They will also be responsible for transportation of their inmates to hearings. Billing will take place on a monthly basis. The agreement was set to run from January 30, 2020 to June 30, 2020.

Ottawa County previously had an agreement with Tulsa County to hold the inmates. That agreement would have cost them $69 per day.

The repairs being made in Miami are to keep the Ottawa County Jail in compliance with State of Oklahoma Jail standards and State of Oklahoma Fire Compliance measures.

Sheriff Owen said the Washington County Detention Center is graciously extending the offer to house the prisoners while the Ottawa County Jail goes through its repairs. He said they did the same thing for Nowata County in February 2019 when a gas leak needed to be fixed at the Nowata County Jail.

The only difference is the length of stay. During the Nowata County Jail incident in 2019, their 18 inmates stayed in the Washington County Detention Center for nearly two months.

Then, an inter-local agreement between Nowata County and Washington County was made. Sheriff Owen said he believed the final billing for Nowata County to house the inmates at the jail was approximately $14,000. The incarceration fee rate for Nowata County was $34.

When Sheriff Floyd called almost two weeks ago, the WCDC was holding approximately 153 inmates with a holding capacity of 240 inmates. With the addition of the 35 inmates, Sheriff Owen said they will be holding approximately 188 inmates in total. Either way, the WCDC has the room and the new prisoners are not expected to stay long.

For the original report of when the inmates were just being housed at the WCDC, click here.