Two men were arrested this weekend for trespassing — at the jail.

The Ellis County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call at 4 a.m. Sunday from its own communications center, located at the basement of the downtown Law Enforcement Center, after dispatchers reported hearing suspicious noises from the construction site.

The LEC is in the midst of a major reconstruction effort, and a temporary LEC is in operation at 3000 New Way.

Upon arrival, the deputy discovered two men in the jail floor of the site, said Ellis County Undersheriff Bruce Hertel. The men were taken into custody without incident on suspicion of criminal trespass.

Matthew B. Anderson, 44, Lawrence, and John M. Bird, 42, Topeka, were released on bond hours after their arrest.

With the steel work for the jail expansion still underway, portions of the building remain accessible, although fences surround the construction site.

Hertel said while there was no apparent damage, some equipment was tampered with, including radio and phone systems.

Several radios on a rack were out of place and a panel was removed from a phone interchange, he said.

“As far as I know, no damage per se was done, but definitely someone went into there and was messing around with things they shouldn’t have,” he said.

However, the countywide pager system, used to call out emergency services, was down for a time after the incident. The county has a backup for the system, but any delay in dispatch is cause for concern, Hertel said. He was unaware of any incidents while the pager system was down. Technicians checked the equipment on Monday.

The case has been forwarded to Ellis County Attorney Tom Drees.