Last week convicted child murderer Antonino Brown escaped from the county jail in Salina. Inmate escapes from jail have been a consistent theme in the news across the state. After Brown turned himself in, Saline county authorities said budget limits and a lack of staff contributed to Brown’s escape.

Ellis County  Law enforcement officials transfer a lot of inmates.  Sheriff Ed Harbin told Hays Post he sympathized with Salina officials. He also said funding and staffing are a challenge for his staff too.

“When we transport prisoners, we make sure we always use leg irons and have them handcuffed. We are short of staff and occasionally have to pull a deputy off the street to help.” (With transporting inmates) Harbin agreed that the decision by the Ellis County Commission to ask voters to consider a sales tax proposal for building projects, including improvements to the jail would certainly be helpful.