Jails are a big part of Blaine County Sheriff Walt Femling's focus these days. He is hemmed in by administrative controversy surrounding the existing jail, which is often overcrowded and currently understaffed, and stuttering plans for a new public safety facility in Hailey that is awaiting judicial approval for the county to borrow some $10 million for construction.
Femling and Kreisenbeck Constructors are juggling the rising costs of construction materials, estimated to be rising at 1 percent per month, to pin down the final cost to taxpayers. But, what is ostensibly a bigger headache for Femling these days is his struggle to manage the current facility housed at the Sheriff's Department in downtown Hailey. Adding to Femling's reluctance to discuss problems at the jail, the sheriff's right-hand man, Lt. Greg Sage, the former head of Blaine County Search and Rescue who has been managing the jail, left the department Oct. 13.
Ironically, as Femling is trying to hire at least three new jail employees, Sage, who was present at the Sheriff's Office Monday morning, said he is no longer working at the jail because he had offers to work for Rocky Mountain Corrections Inc. as a consultant on jail construction.
Femling said through his new public information officer, Sgt. Jay Davis, that he would not comment on the details about Sage's departure in light of two separate cases of alleged sexual misconduct facing the department and the county. Davis confirmed that the department is hoping to hire new jailers from a pool of 12 interviewees and that Chief Deputy Gene Ramsey has taken over jail management. However, Davis added that Femling would not state whether or not Sage submitted a letter of resignation.
Femling, a principal with Rocky Mountain Corrections, said during his election campaign last year that he sometimes works for the consulting group largely from home via e-mail. He declined to comment on the significance of Sage's departure at a time when hiring county employees is difficult, in large part due to limited affordable housing in the Wood River Valley.
As Femling seeks to hire new jailers, the facility and its staff are now under investigation by the Idaho Attorney General's Office, which has been asked to confirm that the death of former jailer Michael Alan Lance was a suicide, said the county's prosecuting attorney, Jim Thomas. Authorities previously reported that Lance died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound the night of Aug. 24 on a hill above the Woodside area of Hailey. It also was reported that Lance had been interrogated that day for several hours by The Magic Valley Critical Incident Task Force about allegations of sexual misconduct made by former jail inmate Gretchen Biddle. In September, Biddle filed a $5 million claim for damages against Femling and the county.
Thomas said the Attorney General's Office, which he said is just beginning its investigation, is also looking into Biddle's claim, which includes allegations of inappropriate sexual contact by Lance, failure to supervise employees of the jail, and failure to protect Biddle from sexual abuse by an employee. The claim states that "the conduct of the Blaine County sheriff, his employees, and/or agents was criminal, willful, reckless, and grossly negligent."
Jim Bensley, the police chief of Garden City, Idaho, is investigating the matter for Blaine County's insurance carrier, said Thomas, but he was unavailable for comment this week.
In light of the allegations, Davis said Femling would not comment on the case or on whether policies of separating male and female inmates at the jail have been appropriately enforced.
Since Lance's death and Biddle's allegations, female inmates have not been housed at the jail. They are being transferred to other jails in the region, as beds are available, Davis said.
The jail is also the focal point of rape allegations made last summer by former inmate Sarah M. Johnson, who is now serving a life sentence in Pocotello. Johnson, of Bellevue, was convicted earlier this year of killing her parents, Diane and Alan Johnson.
In July, the Sheriff's Office confirmed that it asked for an independent investigation into the time Johnson spent at the jail.
" ... Sarah may have had sexual contact with another inmate in 2004, while being housed in the Blaine County Jail," according to a press statement issued by Sage about Johnson's allegations when he managed the jail.
Thomas said the Attorney General's Office will be looking at all the issues involving the facility.
"There's going to be overlap," he said, adding that he expected Sage, Femling and other county staff, both current and former, as well as former inmates of the jail to be cooperative witnesses in the ongoing state investigation.
