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Lamar County sheriff flags rising jail mental-health commitments, notes recent maintenance work
Summary
Sheriff Marty Gotlaw told commissioners Oct. 27 that the jail served 77 breakfasts that morning, crews installed new lights and painted ceilings, and that recent out-of-county mental-health commitments are straining staff; he said there were "3 last week" and that the problem is "only getting worse."
Sheriff Marty Gotlaw told the Lamar County Commission on Oct. 27, 2025, that the jail's routine operations remain steady but that mental-health cases are increasing and consuming staff time.
"Nothing unusual," Gotlaw said, adding, "We had 77 for breakfast this morning at the jail," and describing maintenance work completed while a scissors lift was rented: new lights installed in the cell blocks and ceiling painting performed for the first time in about 35 years. "We recently had new lights installed in all the blocks back there," he said.
Gotlaw said mental-health commitments have required officers to take detainees out of the county and to appear before probate court, noting "I think we had 3 last week," and that such transports "consume a lot of time." He added, "the mental health issues in the jail is only getting worse."
The sheriff's comments focused on operational strain rather than on policy proposals. Commissioners did not vote on a specific jail-related plan during the meeting; Gotlaw said staff will continue addressing the issue. The remarks were part of a routine staff report in which the commission was updated on jail population, facility maintenance and staffing implications.
No formal follow-up date or directive was recorded in the meeting minutes entered during the session. The commission moved on to other agenda items after the report.
