New Dodge County Jail Officially Open

EASTMAN, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – After two years of waiting, the Dodge County Jail is open and ready for business.

This week, officials and inmates made the highly anticipated move into the new facility in Eastman. Crews broke ground on the building in June 2011, but because of construction problems and contract issues, the doors remained closed.

The vacant center cost tax payers thousands of dollars in utility bills. Now Sheriff Lynn Sheffield plans on using the cells as a source of new revenue by housing inmates from other areas and hiring additional staff.

“This has cost the county money,” Sheffield said, “and it feels good and I think the community will be happy for us.”

The new jail currently has a leak in the ceiling, but overall he says the transition has been smooth. He plans to get it repaired as soon as possible. The inmates and administration were scheduled to move in mid-August but a water leak at the old jail sped up the process.

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