County courthouse crisis

Posted
SUN photo/Randi Pierce The control room of the Archuleta County Detention Center Monday morning, after rain Thursday and Saturday forced the facility to close for the long term. SUN photo/Randi Pierce
The control room of the Archuleta County Detention Center Monday morning, after rain Thursday and Saturday forced the facility to close for the long term.

A flooded facility: Inmates, Sheriff’s Office move

It may not seem like a large amount of rain fell last weekend, but it was enough to shut down the Archuleta County Detention Center and force the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office to relocate.

With roof repair work underway on the western portion of the Archuleta County Courthouse, which houses the jail and ACSO, last weekend’s storms came at an inopportune time, with water being introduced into the facility.

Sheriff Rich Valdez described the course of events at a Tuesday emergency meeting held by the Archuleta County Board of County Commissioners.

According to Valdez, water was introduced into the detention facility Thursday night and, while the crew at work tried to mitigate the problem, one inmate was injured. Then the facility’s fire alarms began going off and could not be shut off without being disconnected.

The full version of this story is available in the print edition and e-edition of the Pagosa Springs SUN. Subscribe today by calling (970)264-2100 or click here.