Three Vehicle straight rear ends for Cats motorcyle See page 16 See page 7 75¢ FEBRUARY 28, 2013 THURSDAY ThE BakER COUNty PREss 83rd Year, Vol. 45 | Winner of 5 state awards for journalism excellence in 2011 ‘Sexting’ teen gets County inmate costs driving deficit New jail sold as 23 yr. old ‘money-maker’ two years still years away A circuit judge on February from paying off 19 sentenced a Macclenny man to two years in state prison for JOEL ADDINGTON sending obscene images to a NEWS EDITOR 15-year-old girl during a period
[email protected] of several days in July of last In recent years Baker County’s crime year. rate has dropped but its inmate popu- The state dropped a charge lation in county jail has not. It’s been of obscene growing and draining the county’s once Daily local inmate average: 130 commu- healthy rainy-day fund in the process. nication Since the new Baker County Sheriff’s against Complex opened in June 2009, the an- Per day inmate cost: $85 Buddy nual deficit in the county’s fine and for- Duane feiture fund, which covers corrections, Cham- law enforcement and other related costs, County’s daily cost: $11,050 pion Jr. has steadily grown to $3.9 million. in return In the four years between 2007-08 for his and 2011-12, the deficit more than dou- County’s yearly cost: $4 million no con- bled. test plea. Part of that jump is due to the higher Judge daily rate the county pays per inmate at Mark Buddy Champion the new 500-bed facility — roughly $85 Moseley per day or $40 more than the rate at the During one day of county court this to sentencing.