COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – For the time being, Branch County avoids its second jail overcrowding emergency of 2015. The courts took a pro-active approach on Friday and decided to release 14 inmates to reduce the prisoner population from 150 where it started the day down to 136. The rated capacity of the chronically overcrowded lockup is 142 and had been above that number for a week including last Friday.
7 straight days over capacity requires the Sheriff’s Department to notify the judges of the situation and normally triggers an overcrowding emergency. However, before the notification took place this time, District Judge Brent Weigle signed an order to reduce bonds on 3 inmates and suspend sentences on 11 other prisoners who had a limited number of days remaining before their releases would have otherwise happened.
An emergency declaration at the jail in February lasted 3 weeks.
