JEFFERSON CITY, MO. -- Friday officials cut the ribbon on the new, $31 million Cole County Jail. The first people to sleep in the new jail paid money for the privilege. "Bed, Breakfast, and Bars" is a fund-raising sleepover that took place Friday and Saturday night.
Friday night KRCG producer Dori Olmos and Meghan Lane got the chance to be part of the overnight group. Dori and Meghan got there at about 5:30 and were booked. They filled out their information with close to 100 other fellow jailbirds and one by one got their mug shots taken. One taken from the front and one from the side.
Next they were escorted by deputies to their new cozy home. And by that, we mean a small jail cell with bunks, a mattress with a pillow built in, a toilet and a shower.
Each inmate had a different reason for being there. Spending the night behind bars is a present for Kylee Binder from her friends. "It’s my birthday in two weeks and they decided to surprise me and stick me in jail,” Binder said.
Lynn Wansing is in law enforcement and thought it would be a unique opportunity. "I wanted to see what it was like on the other side so to speak and to see how it was to be locked up," Wansing said.
And for another inmate… "It was a once in a lifetime opportunity," Sallie Jacobs said.
Some of the fellow cell mates found it to be harder than they thought behind bars. "It’s been pretty interesting, I’m someone who gets kind of stir crazy and gets a little cabin fever so I think I’m driving everyone else nuts," Wansing said.
"It’s boring, but I’m like, oh my gosh I think I would hate being in here," Binder said.
After everyone was introduced to their luxurious new home it was dinner time. And that meant navy beans, turkey noodle casserole, bread pudding and cornbread. After dinner, they were given a tour of the state of the art facility.
The tour ended in the early hours of the morning and then the wake up call was at about 5:30 a.m. Then, it was breakfast time and Sallie Jacobs was caught off guard, she thought the meal would be a little more traditional. "Bacon and eggs, rather than bologna, I don't think I’ve ever had bologna for breakfast," Jacobs said.
For security reasons, Cole County Sheriff Greg White would not say exactly when inmates will be moved into the new jail, but says it will be sometime this month.
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