The Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton is pictured above.
The Anderson County Alternatives to Incarceration Committee will discuss the hiring of a director for the Alternatives to Incarceration Department during a meeting in Clinton today (Tuesday, October 21).
The meeting starts at 4 p.m. at the Anderson County Detention Facility at 308 Public Safety Lane.
For more information, call Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Captain Larry Davidson at (865) 457-7100.
A hand-picked crew of nine inmates prepares peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches on white bread for lunch at the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton on Wednesday. Oak Ridge Today was allowed to take pictures of the kitchen, food storage area, and coolers and freezers, but not the inmates.
Note: This story was last updated at 1 a.m. July 25.
Sheriff: Despite campaign claims, jail menu conservative, with average meal $1.10
Challenger stands by his pie, ice cream claims
CLINTON—The menu at the Anderson County jail at lunchtime Wednesday was simple and spartan: A peanut butter and jelly sandwich and milk.
It doesn’t appear to be an unusual meal at the jail, at least not this week. In fact, the menu this week includes three similar lunches with 1/4 cup of peanut butter and jelly mix, two slices of bread, and 8 oz. of milk or chocolate milk.
Anthony Lay
Other meals on the menu—the jail can serve up to 8,000 per week—also call for small portions of meat and bread, fruits and vegetables, and beans and milk.
But Anthony Lay, a Republican candidate for Anderson County sheriff, has raised questions about what inmates are eating. He has suggested they’re eating luxuriously, enjoying pies, cobblers, cookies, and cake. Lay has said the jail appears to be operating a bakery, and taxpayers are footing the bill.
“Fresh baked (double chunk) cookies; cherry, blackberry, and blueberry cobbler; pumpkin and apple pie with Cool Whip—these are all delicious,†Lay said in a June 26 press release. “But at the end of the day, taxpayers foot the bill, and they don’t expect us to offer luxuries to folks who, let’s face it, are in jail for a reason.â€
Paul White
Sheriff Paul White, a Democrat seeking his third term in the August 7 election, has dismissed Lay’s claims as inaccurate and misleading.
“The jail does not operate a bakery,†White said in a July 1 statement.
He said the jail menus are quite conservative. They include a cold sandwich for lunch. The average meal costs $1.10, White said. [Read more…]
Anderson County Law Director Jay Yeager, left, the defendant in an ouster suit filed by a group of residents, is pictured with Lynn Byrge, one of the petitioners, during a Monday morning Anderson County Commission meeting.
Note: This story was last updated at 10:06 a.m. July 22.
CLINTON—The legal fees in a few high-profile disputes between top Anderson County officials could approach a half-million dollars, and Anderson County commissioners should all seek their own legal counsel in an ouster lawsuit filed against the law director, stunned commissioners were told Monday.
Subpoenas have already been issued in the ouster suit, and several officials, including a few County Commissioners, have reportedly received letters asking them to waive their attorney-client privilege.
Anderson County Commissioner Myron Iwanski, who is former interim mayor, said some of the records he’s been asked to provide go back 10 years, and some of them are personnel records. Iwanski said he needs legal representation because he doesn’t want to disclose anything improper, a mistake that could lead to another lawsuit.
“It’s about trying to do what’s right for the county,†Iwanski said.
He said former Anderson County Jail Administrator Avery Johnson has also been served with a subpoena and will need legal representation.
“This is just the start of the legal battle,†Iwanski said. [Read more…]
A small fire Monday morning caused minor damage to a section of the Anderson County jail that is being expanded. (Photo courtesy Larry Davidson/Anderson County Sheriff’s Department)
CLINTON—A small fire Monday morning caused minor damage to a section of the Anderson County jail that is being expanded.
A construction worker on the roof of the 212-bed expansion was welding with a torch at about 11:15 a.m. Monday when it set insulation on the outside of the building on fire, Anderson County officials said. The insulation was between vinyl siding and concrete block, said Larry Davidson, Anderson County Sheriff’s Department captain and acting chief jailer.
The fire was contained to the outside of the Anderson County Detention Facility, and no one was injured. There was no water or smoke damage, but the fire burned a small hole in the side of the building, Davidson said. [Read more…]
