STARKE, Fla. — Two women who have loved ones locked up inside the Bradford County Jail complained to Action News Jax about issues with black mold, inmates sleeping on the ground, and flooded floors.
Wednesday, only Action News Jax cameras were invited inside that jail.
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The jail supervisor said conditions aren’t what the pair claim them to be.
Sisters Janice Duren and Donna Stevens don’t have pictures or video of their allegations, but they complained some inmates – including two family members -- were locked up in moldy, flooded cells.
“The only people who know what’s going inside are the people inside. And they’re begging for help,” said Janice Duren, who has a brother and nephew inside the jail.
Major Dawn McKinley gave Action News Jaxs an e-mailed complaint from the pair, forwarded from the Bradford County Manager’s Office.
“The other complaints, like black mold, and people sleeping on the floor, those were not found,” said Major Dawn McKinley, Chief of Corrections for the Bradford County Sheriff’s Office.
“People in jail would get on the phone would tell us stuff. People are calling me. I don’t know who they are. So we called the County Commissioner,” said Duren.
McKinley showed Action News Jax weekly inspection reports, but found nothing that supported the women’s claims.
“When somebody says flooding, they picture flooding. Everything back there is wet, and under water. That’s not the case. I want to put their mind at ease,” said McKinley.
Again, McKinley said there are regular weekly inspections.
She said there’s still a slight water leak that was reported at the beginning of this month, in one of the cells, but repairs are continuing to get that issue fixed.
Read: Man accused of setting multiple brush fires in Bradford County arrested
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