OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — According to officials, mistakes, including two inmates' escapes in just one month at the Osceola County jail, have lead to 30 employees needing discipline and some have been fired.
The jail's chief, Greg Futch, resigned Monday. Apparently, the last straw came last Friday when county leaders found out inadvertently that, under Futch's watch, inmate Alexander Keith lied to the jail about his identity and was mistakenly released on a $250,000 bond.
The jail didn't realize the mistake until a week later, last Thursday, but county leaders didn't find out until Friday.
NEWS CONFERENCE: Official Announces Disciplinary Actions
People who live in Osceola County have been calling for action ever since the two escapes and now they have it. Not only is the jail chief out, but Osceola County also fired 16 jail guards and disciplined another 12. Two resigned before their punishments came down.
One of the guards who resigned was arrested for helping with one of the escapes.
County Manager Michael Freilinger said Monday there is a culture of not holding guards accountable at the Osceola County jail that led to the escape in late February of gang member Michael Rigby and says it's going to change.
"I want everyone to know that our jail is certified and accredited," County Manager Michael Freilinger said at a Monday afternoon press conference. "Mistakes have been made, mostly by individuals not following their duties. They are isolated incidences. And because of these events, the jail and its operations is under a tremendous amount of scrutiny."
The fired guards have until Tuesday morning to decide whether they want to fight to get their jobs back, otherwise they're out on Wednesday.
Guards in the maximum security housing unit on all four shifts didn't do their jobs and, with the help of a guard who was allegedly offered $40,000 to give Rigby a metal object he used to dig his way out. Rigby, a gang member, is still on the run after escaping in February.
Investigators think Rigby has left the state and now U.S. marshals are on the lookout for him. Rigby was in jail facing attempted murder charges.
"The days of continuing to put people on performance plans are over with. You're gonna do your job or you're not," Freilinger said.
Freilinger said he believed that jail Chief Greg Futch was doing his job, but public perception that he wasn't couldn't be overcome. Futch will get about $28,000 in severance pay for 14 weeks. He did not have an employment contract with the county.
"Would he have been fired if he didn't give you his resignation this morning?" Freilinger was asked at the press conference.
"I'm not gonna speculate on that," he replied.
The 30 jail guards who've been fired, disciplined, or quit are the ones identified in the Rigby escape. WFTV was told some of them were among the new hires at the jail who presumably were not part of the old, lax culture. Another investigation into the subsequent escape of inmate Carlos Rosa, who is back behind bars in a high-security area, could bring more firings.
Then, after the two escapes, a jail guard let out someone who lied about who they were because the proper identification check was not done.
The deputy jail chief, Raul Banasco, will take over for now.
Freilinger will consult with Osceola Sheriff Bob Hansell on hiring an interim jail chief and get help from Lake County Sheriff Gary Borders, who used to run the jail decades ago. Borders will visit the jail next week to help assess the problems there.
Also, later next month, two auditors from the National Institute of Corrections will come to the jail to help fix what's broken.
Previous Stories: March 27, 2010: New Issue Discovered At Troubled Jail March 26, 2010: Bond Set For Jail Guard Accused Of Helping Escapee March 24, 2010: Jail Guard Speaks Out, Chief Admits Job Searching March 20, 2010: Osceola Co. Residents Question Sheriff About Jail Problems March 20, 2010: Osceola County Suspends 17 Corrections Officers March 19, 2010: Angry Citizens Demand Changes Amid Jail Problems March 18, 2010: Officer Arrested, Accused Of Helping Escapee March 18, 2010: Step-By-Step Plan Released For Troubled Jail March 18, 2010: Sheriff Steps In To Fill Jail Security Gaps March 17, 2010: Captured Escapee Convict: "I Just Wanted To See My Kids" March 17, 2010: Jail To Spend $4 Million To Improve Security
WFTV
