The Webster County grand jury empaneled June 20 has submitted a report of its investigations.
Having been in session one day, grand jurors inspected the Webster County Courthouse, Justice Court Building, Webster County Health Department and the Webster County Jail, and reported as follows:
Webster County Courthouse
Room 117-Breakroom, the fire extinguisher expired August 2020. In room 118-Mechanial room has flammable products being stored — 1-gallon and 5-gallon buckets of paint, and there is no fire extinguisher. In room 22-mechanical/electrical room has flammable products-cleaning chemicals. The south courtroom, jury seating entry step is a trip hazard. The foyer at the top of the stairs has ceiling tile damage. Courthouse front main entrance has a bird next that needs to be removed.
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Justice Court Building
Foyer entry fire extinguisher is expired. Storage room has water leaks that caused ceiling and wall damage. Courtroom needs new carpet because it is a trip hazard.
Front bathroom is not ADA compliant. All fire extinguishers are expired and there are no batteries in smoke detector. Ceiling has mold in three rooms. They need a new building.
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Webster County MDHS & Health Department
The front door locks stick. The walls in the lobby need to be cleaned and painted. The floors in the main lobby need to be cleaned and buffed. The ceiling tiles in the conference room A are either missing or have water damage, (the room) has an out-of-date fire extinguisher and is crowded with extra lights and chairs.
There are water-damaged tiles in the visitation room and by smoke alarm. There is peeling sheetrock in the men’s restrooms and the walls are grimy and nasty. The bathrooms are in general in disrepair. Water fountain is broken and has loose tiles underneath.
Health Department was closed. CPS office ceiling tiles need to be repaired and there are exposed cables for internet. The baseboards need to be cleaned. The community and employee bathrooms are unclean and walls need to be washed. The vents are dirty and clogged. There are no toilet paper holders in restrooms.
Seals on the outside windows need to be repaired and replaced. The clutter in the lobby needs to be removed. There is old stagnant water in the mop bucket. There is dirt and grime beneath kitchen cabinets. Overall the building is filthy.
Cleaning services need to be replaced as current individual cannot adequately handle what needs to be done.
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Webster County Jail
The cells have no lights. There is garbage left in the cells. The vents need to be repaired. There are holes in the cinderblocks. The showers need to be cleaned. There are floor tiles missing in the showers. One shower is missing a knob.
The floor outside of the shower collects water. There is mold on the air vents and some are bend or damaged. The jail needs storage. There is toilet paper around pipes. There are numerous electrical cords in the jail area. There is also wiring everywhere. Why are TVs in the cells?
There is not enough office space for officers. The jail needs a sprinkler system. The fire extinguishers have expired. There is grease stored by the gas stove. The kitchen needs a proper kitchen/food storage.
The jail needs a dedicated electrical and wash facilities. Pipes on the water heater are covered with aluminum foil. Exterior windows are boarded up. The floor in the intake office is torn and peeling up. The door locks are broken.
Outside of the jail gutters are falling down. There is a dent in the roof on the east side by the yard. The barb sire needs to be reinforced it appears to be tied together. The faucet outside is leaking. There are holes in soffit outside.
Now that we have completed our investigations, and have reported the results to the court and to our fellow citizens, we request that we be discharged subject to recall.
This the 20th day of June, 2022.
s/Larry L. Pruitt
Foreperson
