DAYTON — Searches conducted at the Montgomery County Jail occur regularly but the one staged Friday was unannounced, spurred in large part because of the deaths of seven inmates this year, Sheriff Rob Streck said.
“Today’s goal, hit it hard, hit it fast before anyone knows what’s going on,” he told News Center 7′s Mike Campbell.
Streck said he didn’t give anyone advanced warning of the search, which covered every space in the jail.
“We’re talking about going through everything that is in there, including all of my employee’s areas, all of their possessions, everything,” the sheriff said.
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News Center 7 was the only news organization at the jail to report on the massive search, which involved more than 50 deputies backed up by about 15 K-9s and their handlers from six departments across the county.
While the search of the massive jail did not turn up any drugs, drug paraphernalia, or contraband, the sheriff said the manpower and effort sends a message.
The smaller searches occur nearly once a month, he said.
Those smaller excursions have not stopped the deaths of seven people so far this year, several of them confirmed overdoses.
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“Searching the jail is essential to keeping paraphernalia out,” Streck said.
Terry Clemmons was one of those seven inmates who died this year. The county coroner’s office has yet to rule on a cause of death.
“I’m very, very, very upset,” said his brother, Anthony Clemmons.
Sheriff Streck said the confirmed overdoses have prompted him to no longer book people into the jail who have recently overdosed, been a hospital patient, or have used Narcan. The jail also has instituted first-24-hour monitoring of inmates deemed at risk.
“These tragedies that we’ve had, we believe the stuff was in their system, then they went in,” he said. “A scary world out there when it comes to drugs that are out there and how powerful they are.”
The smaller scale searches will continue, Streck said.
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