ASHLAND CITY (AP) — Officials in a Tennessee county want to build a new jail after overcrowding and other issues led to a brawl that injured five people, including two correctional officers.
News outlets report Cheatham County officials voted unanimously Monday to begin the process to build the facility, saying they think it will address problems with overcrowding.
Sheriff Mike Breedlove says the jail has 116 beds but usually holds between 160 and 190 inmates.
County officials say the first step is to begin the design process and to evaluate the cost for different options. They hope to complete that by July.
Breedlove says the brawl last month happened when inmates in one of the jail's dorms broke the locks off a neighboring dorm and attacked inmates, officers and property.