In a response and counterclaim filed Aug. 14 with the Greene County Circuit Court, Sheriff Jim Arnott refuted the city of Springfield’s allegations he is mandated to house municipal prisoners at the Greene County Justice Center.
In the counterclaim, Arnott requested an award judgment of nearly $775,000 he says is owed by the city from July 1, 2011, to April 5, 2014, and $45 per day per inmate since April 15, 2015.
The counterclaim also requests a judgment for medical charges incurred for a five-year period preceding the Aug. 14 filing date, the cost of video court appearances totaling nearly $185,000 and prejudgment interest for the city’s alleged breach of contract.
In the city’s suit
filed July 14, the city claimed an Interlocal Government Agreement Law Enforcement Initiative agreed to between the city and county in 1997 regarding funding for creation of the jail as the basis for its argument.
The response filed Friday by Arnott’s attorney, Pat Keck of Keck & Austin LLC, states the sheriff does not have authority to enter into any agreement regarding collection or disbursement of tax money. ??The response also states Arnott cannot violate Missouri statutes requiring him to take federal and state prisoners, and he is only required to take city prisoners when space is available. The response further denies existence of a “city-county jail,” as the county facility was not referred to by that name in the 1997 agreement, that year’s ballot, nor is it currently known by that name.
In an August interview with Springfield Business Journal, Keck said the sheriff also must house inmates from other counties arriving in Greene County for court appearances. She said because available capacity at the jail is constantly fluctuating, the sheriff’s department couldn’t solely afford the cost of housing municipal prisoners at other facilities when space is not available in Greene County, according to
Springfield Business Journal archives.
The city issued a statement Friday that it received Arnott’s counterclaim and was unable to comment further due to pending litigation. Keck not be reached for comment this morning by deadline.
