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Commissioners share detention-facility observations, volunteer outreach and local scam warning
Summary
At the May 5 meeting commissioners who toured the Rockingham County Detention Facility urged attention to staffing and mental-health needs, encouraged nominations for a Volunteer of the Month program, and warned of a scam phishing email falsely offering summer LEAP funds; Animal Control also handled a runaway emu with no injuries reported.
During the Rockingham County Board of Commissioners’ May 5, 2025 meeting, several commissioners described recent detention-facility visits and raised community notices.
Commissioner Jeff Kellum, who took part in a detention-facility orientation on May 3, said the experience highlighted understaffing and the need for better mental-health options for inmates. "Being in the detention facility this weekend was an eye opener," Kellum said, adding that he made rounds in most pods and spoke independently with several staff members. He recommended that mental-health and emergency-management options be reviewed to ensure detainees can access help or alternatives to detention.
Commissioner Hall and Commissioner Kevin Berger (referenced by the sheriff as having toured the facility earlier) also described inspections that showed repairs to gates and lights and praised staff for accommodating the visits.
Commissioner Richardson encouraged residents to nominate county volunteers for the county’s Volunteer of the Month recognition and provided a contact (Miss Washburn) and phone number (336-342-8102) for nominations. Richardson also publicly thanked Roy Sawyers for longtime service recording and publicizing county meetings.
Commissioner Barrow warned residents about a scam email falsely offering LEAP (Low Income Energy Assistance Program) funds outside the usual winter season and directed people with energy-assistance questions to county staff at 336-342-1394. He also thanked Animal Control and Wentworth Elementary staff for safely handling a loose emu; no injuries to children or animals were reported.
Chair remarks during the meeting also addressed an NCDHHS inspection and ongoing graffiti in some jail cells; the county has paid to repaint affected cells but further painting is constrained by inmate housing. The chair clarified that, contrary to a prior statement, deputies can charge multiple individuals for defacing public property when facts support reasonable suspicion, though conviction of any individual depends on evidence and due process.
The meeting closed after routine motions and the board adjourned.
