Recent incident at Sac County Jail highlights need for new jail
SAC CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — A recent incident at the Sac County Jail highlights the need for a new jail, according to the Sac County Sheriff.
According to Sac County Sheriff Ken McClure, on June 4th, inmate, Artis Karazins of Lake View was able to squeeze through the food pass-through on the door as the jailer was placing food into the cell. Karazins got out, assaulted the jailer, then chased the jailer down steps into the booking area where two deputy sheriffs were able to subdue him and get him in handcuffs.
Karazins was sent to Loring Hospital in Sac City for observation before being transported to the Woodbury County Jail.
'That slot is 14-inches wide and 8 inches high. That just goes back to we have a 90-year-old jail. We're just not set up for security and safety for that reason. We're very fortunate that we didn't get someone seriously hurt that day' said Sac County Sheriff Ken McClure.
Story continues below
Top Story: Sac County Sheriff: Man assaulted jail staff, attempted escape
Lights & Sirens: Suspect shot at during pursuit in stolen vehicle, Dakota Co Sheriff says
Sports: West Sioux boys soccer wins first-ever IHSAA State title with 2-1 OT win
Weather: Get the latest weather forecast here
According to the sheriff, it's incidents like this that shows a new facility is needed.
' He's an example of inmates we're just not designed to hold here. Our jail is so old, we don't have a secure way to keep them. We don't have a padded cell for inmates who are having either they're intoxicated, violent or they're having psychotic events and they're uncontrolling.'
A new jail would solve that problem and help prevent more incidents like this according to the Sheriff.
'The new jail construction, first of all, would have see through, mirrored glass from the corridor that the jailer could have looked in and saw the inmate potentially charging where this, it's just a steel door and you have to get up on your tippy-toes to look in and the window is only so wide.'
Right now, the jail can hold 24 inmates and during a typical year, up to 300 inmates will be booked into the jail. But they can't hold female inmates here and females have to be held at other nearby jails and that cost money.
'Buena Vista County charges us $75 a day, I think Ida County charges us $55 a day, Carroll County, I believe, is charging us $60 a day,' added Sheriff McClure.
A bond vote for a new jail was held last November and fell just over 1% short of the 60% needed to pass. The sheriff hopes to have another vote for a new jail this November, but there's a lot to do before then, like find out the updated cost projections.
'Once we get those cost projections, we'll get that to the bonding agency, figure out what our tax impact is going to be on our citizens. We now have a jail committee that is formed, we'll bring that to the jail committee and hopefully they will make the recommendation to the Board of Supervisors to call for a special election in November.'
If the jail is approved, it will be built across the street from the current jail and will take about two years to complete.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
40 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Jury finds New Orleans police officer who shot and killed puppy violated rights but has immunity
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A jury in federal court ruled that a New Orleans police officer who shot and killed a puppy had violated its owners' constitutional rights but was shielded from punishment under qualified immunity because of his government role, according to the plaintiffs' attorney William Most. The jury awarded $10,000 in damages for emotional distress to the puppy's owners, to be paid by the city, Most said. An additional $400 was awarded for the rescue dog's market value. The jury found that the city held a degree of liability tied to the officer's actions but was not ultimately responsible for the killing of Apollo the puppy, Most said. The jury ruled the officer violated state laws of negligence and wrongful destruction of property. The jury also found the owners and Burmaster's police partner had some liability in the dog's death, Most added. 'We are so glad to have justice for Apollo,' Most said in a text message. 'We hope that this trial will achieve lasting change in the way the New Orleans Police Department trains its officers to handle animals they meet in the field.' The city and police department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Derrick Burmaster, the police officer, declined to comment. The civil lawsuit arose after the 16-week old, 22-pound (10-kilogram) Catahoula Leopard puppy ran up to Burmaster when he and a police partner entered the couple's yard in response to a report of a domestic disturbance in 2021. Burmaster, who has said he feared Apollo would bite him in the genitals, fired three shots at the puppy with one hand while covering his crotch with the other, court records show. Another larger adult dog had barked and moved toward Burmaster's colleague, who stepped out of the yard before it reached him. Police body camera shows Apollo died in the arms of his distraught owners, who later were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, according to their lawyer. 'How could you shoot a puppy?' screamed Apollo's owner, Julia Barecki-Brown, immediately after the incident, footage shows. 'This is the love of our lives.' In footage, Burmaster repeatedly apologized but also asked why they had let the dogs out. Multiple internal police investigations found Burmaster's actions violated department policies. The department's Use of Force Review Board unanimously ruled the shooting was unjustified. Police investigators stated that Apollo did not pose a threat. Burmaster did not consider alternative options such as kicking the dog or using a Taser, investigators noted. In violation of department protocol, he was not wearing body armor or equipped with a baton. This is the second time he has fatally shot a dog, court records show. Apollo's owners, Barecki-Brown and her husband Derek Brown, sued Burmaster and the City of New Orleans in 2022. In July 2023, after a federal judge ruled that the lawsuit could move to jury trial, department leadership cleared Burmaster of wrongdoing for his use of force during the final step in the internal review process. The city's Independent Police Monitor Stella Cziment criticized the department's reversal and told The Associated Press that she disagreed with the decision to clear Burmaster of misconduct in the aftermath of a civil lawsuit. 'The claim that the NOPD 'reversed' in response to the civil lawsuit is spurious,' the City of New Orleans said in a Wednesday statement. 'Prior to the filing of the lawsuit, the NOPD had not reached a final decision regarding disciplinary action for Officer Burmaster.' The city noted that Sgt. David Duplantier, a police training academy instructor, issued a report on Oct. 12, 2021 — after the first two internal reviews — finding that Burmaster 'acted properly' because he believed he was at risk of imminent harm. Long-standing federal oversight of the city's police department put in place after a decades-long history of misconduct and culture of impunity is in the process of winding down. Department leaders have sought to reassure the public that they have built a system of transparency and accountability. ___ Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
CBS News
40 minutes ago
- CBS News
Operation Pit-Stain: Trio arrested in $50,000 toiletry theft ring in Northern California
ROSEVILLE — Roseville police say thieves accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars' worth of deodorant and other hygiene products from stores across Northern California were recently arrested in the San Francisco Bay Area. The thieves are accused of stealing more than $15,000 worth of deodorant alone from Safeway and CVS stores across Roseville during the months of March and April, police said. Investigators say the two main suspects also hit other stores throughout Northern California for deodorant and other toiletries, then sold them to a third individual, who knowingly purchased the stolen items and resold them at Bay Area flea markets. The suspects were arrested in the Bay Area. Two were taken into custody last week and another earlier this week. In total, around $50,000 worth of stolen products — deodorant, shampoo, toothpaste and more — were recovered by investigators. Dubbed Operation Pit-Stain, Roseville police collaborated with the Santa Clara Police Department, Placer County District Attorney's Office, and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation on the investigation. "No matter how much deodorant you steal — organized retail theft still stinks," Roseville police said in a statement.
CBS News
40 minutes ago
- CBS News
Los Angeles-area pastor denounces immigration operations after arrest on church property
After a series of immigration operations took place across Los Angeles County once again on Wednesday, some pastors gathered to publicly denounce the actions of agents who detained a man on church property. It happened in Downey outside of Memorial Christian Church, one of several locations where operations took place in the city, according to Tania Lopez. She's the senior pastor at the church, who says that as a person of faith, it's her duty to put herself out there and try to find out exactly why the man was detained. In cell phone video footage captured by Lopez, the agents can be heard asking people repeatedly not to interfere and that they were just doing their jobs. "They don't care that faith leaders are out there," she said during a press conference after the incident. "They are coming, and they are relentless and cruelty is the point. ... So we will meet that cruelty with love." Lopez claims one of the agents pointed a gun at her when she approached the SUV they were in, when she attempted to ask for the name of the man they had detained. "So when they chose to draw their weapon on me, I kept saying, 'I'm not here violently, I am asking you to tell me why you're doing this,'" she said. Since Friday, federal agents with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Department of Homeland Security have conducted immigration operations across Southern California, resulting in more than 300 arrests, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Lopez was joined by other community members at the news conference, many of whom say that their interactions with federal agents have been haunting. "Wehn we said we don't want this on our property, this gentleman just shouted, 'The whole country is our property,'" said Downey Memorial Christian Church Reverend Pastor Al Lopez. "When someone tells that to you with a weapon in their hands, that was a very clear message." Federal agents can legally enter public areas of private properties, including waiting rooms, lobbies and parking lots. If they do not have a signed judicial warrant, they can wait for suspected undocumented immigrants to come outside. CBS News Los Angeles contacted ICE but has not received a response.
