By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
Barton County Sheriff Brian Bellendir went down memory lane on County
Edition on 1590 KVGB & 95.5 FM that aired March 3, 2022.
On the show, he said the way things worked over 100 years ago was the sheriff
worked in the county seat, but each town throughout Barton County had their own
jail. If you committed a misdemeanor crime, you would be put in the city jail
and wait to see the city judge. If you committed a felony or serious crime,
that case had to be heard in the district court in Great Bend. A telegraph
would be sent, and the sheriff’s office would hitch up a horse and buggy to get
the prisoner and bring him or her back to Great Bend.
Bellendir remembered growing up as kid in the 1970s when the cities still used
their individual jails but that would come to an end.
"These cities found it's not cost-effective to keep those jails," said Bellendir. "They may have only one or two prisoners in there. They couldn't meet standards for humane treatment of prisoners. Usually, it was just one holding cell with a toilet and sink. You might have three or four guys in there with one bunk."
Now, all prisoners are held at the Barton County Detention Center on Kansas
Avenue in Great Bend. The Sheriff’s Office charges each town $35 per day to
hold their prisoners. Bellendir said Great Bend might have upwards of 10
inmates in the jail on city charges each day.
"There is another statute out there that says if your neighboring county does not have a jail, I must hold those prisoners if I have room," said Bellendir. "Rush County and Stafford County don't have jails, so we hold both Rush and Stafford county prisoners and charge them $35 per day."
If another prison becomes full, they could potentially ask Barton County if they
have room. Bellendir would then determine how many prisoners Barton County has
room for, and then charge that city or county $35 per inmate each day. The
money collected goes back into Barton County’s General Fund.