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Sheriff tells Estill County meeting recent escape was not in his custody, pushes for staffing review
Summary
The sheriff told the meeting that a recent escape occurred while the person was in transport officers’ custody, not the sheriff’s office, and urged leadership to review procedures and staffing; he also described civil-process workloads and budget pressures.
Sheriff Williams clarified the facts around a recent escape, telling the meeting that the person "was never in sheriff's office or any police custody" while being transported and that transport officers and state police handled the incident. "So that was nothing that that we had to do with him," the sheriff said, and added that his office is "currently actively trying to to find him."
The sheriff used his report to press for operational review. He described heavy civil-process responsibilities—service of civil papers and similar duties—and frequent on-call demands that pull deputies from other work. The sheriff said office revenues cover limited costs and that county-funded deputies help sustain operations. "If it wasn't for you all giving me the extra, you know, paying for a couple of deputies right now, it literally my office only brings enough money in to really basically pay for my salary," he said.
He also framed the escape as a reminder to avoid complacency. Citing past incidents in neighboring counties as cautionary examples, the sheriff said leaders must reassess procedures to keep personnel and the public safe.
Next steps: sheriff proposed further internal review of procedures and asked the court to discuss staffing and operational needs as part of upcoming budget planning.
