Jail flunks inspection

The Cherokee County detention center has been cited for violations during a May 6 inspection of the facility by the state Department of Corrections.

The violations stem, in part, from an overcrowding of women at the facility, county officials said.

The county has until Aug. 12 to respond with a plan to correct the violations. County officials, including Sheriff Bill Blanton, were notified of the violations in a noncompliance letter last month.

The violations also included permitting an inmate to sleep in a storage area without prior inspection and failing to review or update the detention center's policies to reflect current operating procedures at the facility.