LANCASTER − The Baltimore village mayor’s court will no longer be able to send prisoners to the Fairfield County Jail if they are convicted of crimes against village law until the village signs a contract with the county.
The county commissioners on June 16 passed a resolution prohibiting the county from housing the prisoners. The resolution takes effect in 90 days.
The jail will still accept those accused of crimes against Ohio Revised Code laws, however. The ORC says municipalities can use the county jail but must pay for the costs.
“It could get pretty messy pretty quick,” Commissioner Jeff Fix said of housing prisoners accused of crimes against village laws. “The right way to do it is to have an agreement with the village of Baltimore, or any village in Fairfield County, and the sheriff’s office saying we will house your people that you arrest and detain for arrests you made that are outside the Ohio Revised Code.”
Sheriff Alex Lape said there is occasionally an inmate in the county jail from the Baltimore mayor’s court. Fix said the issue stems from the Pleasantville mayor’s court sending inmates to the county jail for those accused of breaking village laws. He said Pleasantville has since dissolved its mayor’s court.
“It basically caused the sheriff to ask the question of, is this really the right way to do business?” Fix said. “And the answer was no, it’s not. That (Pleasantville) brought it up and it caused us to examine the villages that have a mayor’s court that do not have an agreement with the sheriff to take on their prisoners outside of the Ohio Revised Code.”
Commissioner Steve Davis said the county needs contracts with mayor’s courts so it’s clear who is paying for what.
Davis said it is highly unusual for a mayor’s court to send someone to jail, so there has never been a contract between the village and the county.
“But if they’re going to send people to jail, they need to sign up for their medical costs and contract terms,” he said. “That’s all.”
Baltimore Mayor Rick Ellas said he was not aware of the county’s action and could not comment.
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This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Baltimore village mayor court faces county jail restrictions
Reporting by Jeff Barron, Lancaster Eagle-Gazette / Lancaster Eagle-Gazette
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jeff Barron, Lancaster Eagle-Gazette | USA TODAY Network
