Community Reacts After Nearly Entire Nowata County Sheriff's Office Resigns

Monday, March 18th 2019, 9:08 pm

By: Justin Shrair

Longtime Nowata resident Butch Sink comes to the Nowata Depot Cafe every day. While he doesn't work at the Sheriff's Office, he said the county needs money.

"We are so poor we don't have it I don't have an answer," said Sink.

And he said something needs to be done about the jail.

"How much does it take to fix the jail where it is legal and safe for everybody I know they are prisoners but they still got rights you don't put them in there where they are breathing bad stuff," said Sink.

Sink said while he doesn't feel unsafe not having a Sheriff's Office, he believes the community would feel more secure with a Sheriff and Deputies ready to respond. He says if now Former Sheriff Terry Sue Barnett felt the jail was unsafe, he stands by her decision.

"If she truly believed that the jail was unsafe for the prisoners I have no ill against to me that's her job," said Sink.

Woody Teel, who has lived in the county since 1969 said he believes the people who work and are jailed inside the Sheriff Office's deserve a safe environment.

"I think sometimes you got to make a statement they got big problem over there I don't know if it can be solved overnight," said Teel.

And while not having a Sheriff's Office is a concern, and the resignations were unexpected, Nowata business owner Stacy Eddings said the community needs to come together.

"We just have to try to make good things happen instead of bad we need to pull together as a community and stand united and quit being divided," said Eddings.

A hearing set for tomorrow morning in Nowata where the Judge who ruled to reopen the jail said he will go over the situation again.

The city police and South Coffeyville Police are responding to emergency calls.