Severe weather damages Bastrop County Jail

A severe storm Wednesday night caused significant damage to the Bastrop County Jail. The storm ripped the roof off an overflow building there, tossing debris more than 100 yards away. 

Luckily no one was injured, but, because of the damage, the county will not be able to accept inmates from other counties until repairs are made. The guard four building, where the roof was torn off, is used to house low-security inmates when the main building is already at capacity. 

Besides the roof, there was also significant water damage inside. 

Debris knocked down part of the security fence around the jail and tarps, meant to keep inmates out of sight, are now torn and twisted over barbed wire. 

“It seems like a lot of the damage and some of the debris is located in odd places if you had straight line winds, but, there again, I don’t want to be the only one in the area saying we had a tornado,” said Bastrop County Sheriff Maurice Cook. 

The sheriff said fixing the damaged jail building will be fast tracked because it is a security issue. 

An insurance agent has already surveyed the damage but has yet to send an estimate. 

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