W.Va. regional jail relocating inmates for heating system repairs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

From the Office of the Secretary
West Virginia Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety
Joe Thornton, Cabinet Secretary

Contact: Lawrence Messina
(304) 558-2930
Lawrence.C.Messina@wv.gov

Jan. 20, 2015

CHARLESTON, W.Va – The Potomac Highlands Regional Jail in Augusta, Hampshire County, is temporarily transferring its inmates to other West Virginia regional jails to allow for repairs to its heating system, officials with the West Virginia Regional Jail and Correctional Facility Authority announced Tuesday.

The repair work includes purging system lines of liquid propane. The safety of staff and inmates during that process prompted the decision to relocate the facility’s population, said authority Executive Director Joe DeLong.

Completing the repairs should take an estimated two to three days. Around 200 inmates are housed at PHRJ, the smallest population in the 10-facility regional jail system. The Division of Corrections is assisting with the temporary transfers. The authority and the division are both part of the W.Va. Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety.