NEWS

Tired of stranded Springfield inmates, Miller County ends jail contract

Alissa Zhu
DZHU@NEWS-LEADER.COM
Virgil Cole, 52, was arrested last month in Springfield, then taken to an out-of-county jail located in Tuscumbia, more than 100 miles away. Cole, who is homeless, said his journey back to Springfield took about five days.

Virgil Cole, 52, was arrested last month on a warrant after failing to show up to court on a trespassing charge in Springfield. He was shipped to an out-of-county jail located more than 100 miles away.

"They dropped me off in Miller County with no way back," Cole told the News-Leader.

Cole, who is homeless, said his journey back to Springfield from the tiny town of Tuscumbia took about five days.

"I was scared, I was almost trembling, that one of the trucks would hit me," Cole said, who traveled mostly on foot along highways.

Cole was just one of dozens of people who have struggled to find their way home after they were released from jail, according to some Tuscumbia residents.

A Miller County official said stranded inmates is one of the reasons they have decided to terminate an inmate transport and housing agreement with Springfield.

The city of Springfield will stop taking inmates to Miller County within 60 days, as a clause in the contract stipulates.

Tuscumbia Mayor Davie Horton told the News-Leader he supports the Miller County Commission's decision. Horton believes what the Springfield police have been doing is not right.

"Most of (the released inmates) don't have money, they don't have phones. They're begging for food, they're begging for a ride back to Springfield," Horton said. "They have rights too. I know they've done something wrong but if they brought them from Springfield, they should take them back to Springfield."

Horton said the inmate contract with Springfield has caused issues in Tuscumbia, which has a population of about 200 people.

"When they are here, they're panhandling. They're wanting money for cigarettes, they want money to buy a ride back to Springfield. It's bad for the community all the way around," Horton said.

Some people arrested in Springfield on municipal charges have been transported to the Miller County Jail, nearly two hours away, in Tuscumbia, or the Taney County Jail in Forsyth.

Cole was held in the Miller County Jail for 48 hours, but because no judge was available to see him over the weekend, he was released.

"They kicked me out at 6:30 on a Sunday night," Cole said. "There's nothing there. There's no bus terminal, there's no McDonald's. There's a gas station that sells hot dogs."

Kaye Hamacher works at the Tuscumbia Eagle Stop, the only gas station in town.

Hamacher said she sees anywhere between five and 20 released inmates a week in the store. She said she worries about their safety.

"I give them food and drink. I pay for that myself because I can understand — I used to work up here at the county jail. I feel like they're being mistreated, just being kicked out on the streets out here," Hamacher said.

Springfield Police Chief Paul Williams said his department has no authority or responsibility to give prisoners a ride anywhere once they're out of jail.

Williams said it's a "common occurrence outside of any jail" to see people asking for money, looking for a phone or trying to get a ride.

Springfield Police Chief Paul Williams

"If they're arrested and they just show up in court, they would not have warrants out for their arrest. They would not have to be taken to a jail, wherever that jail may be," Williams said.

In March, City Council approved the plan to ship municipal inmates out to other counties. For nearly a year prior, Springfield police had no way to imprison people suspected of breaking municipal laws because the Greene County sheriff said he no longer had room for them in his jail.

Springfield police started sending inmates out to Miller County and Taney County at the end of May.

Even back then, critics of the plan raised concerns that people would be stranded hours away.

Springfield resident Tim Havens addressed council during a meeting in May, asking for the city to bring inmates back after they are released. He predicted that many of the people being sent to jail would be homeless or struggle with mental health and substance abuse issues.

"These are the most vulnerable people we have," Havens said. "(Once released) they don't know anybody. They're confused. It's a prime situation for a crime to be committed or someone to be hurt."

At the meeting, some council members seemed to brush off Havens' concerns with a shrug.

Councilman Craig Hosmer said, "I'm not necessarily in favor of leaving people in Miller County or Taney County, but our job isn't to transport people around the state."

Miller County Clerk Clinton Jenkins said the three-person Miller County Commission unanimously voted to terminate the agreement with Springfield on Aug. 26.

Jenkins described the commission's decision to the News-Leader. He said his county was willing to try out the agreement with Springfield but foresaw that early termination was a possibility.

"We're a small community and we have no cellphone reception," Jenkins said to explain how difficult it is to get a ride out of his rural town.

Jenkins said the other reason Miller County officials decided to terminate the agreement is that the Miller County sheriff's department has had difficulty keeping deputies on the road due to a high turnover rate.

Reached by the News-Leader, Taney County Presiding Commissioner Mike Scofield said his county will continue to accept inmates shipped from Springfield.

Scofield said Taney County has not experienced the problems Miller County encountered with stranded released inmates.

Virgil Cole, 52, said he was shipped out to the Miller County Jail by Springfield police for breaking a municipal law. Cole said it took him five days to walk back.

To date, more than 340 Springfield inmates have been transported to Taney and Miller County jails.

Chief Williams said the Springfield Police Department is exploring other options in the region, to see if another county jail will want to contract with Springfield.

Williams called the agreements with other counties a "Band-Aid solution."

"It's not something that works well for anybody here, but it's the best we have to hold people accountable in some small way," Williams said.

Williams said he will not consider a plan to transport Springfield inmates back from other counties after they are released.

The homeless man, Cole, said he suffers from some health problems which forced him to taken frequent rests along his walk back to Springfield. He pointed to two hernias protruding from his lower torso and his swollen ankles.

Cole said along the way, law enforcement was called on him several times — once while he was resting at a gas station, another time when he was seeking food aid from a church.

"I feel like a vapor, I feel like ready to die. I don't have any assistance. Wherever I go, I get rejected," Cole said.

Cole said he also experienced kindness. Along his route home, a law enforcement officer gave him a ride to a McDonald's and a handful of money so he could get something to eat. A trucker at a gas station offered to give him a lift for a few miles.

"Thank God I was able to make it back," Cole said.