A private jail in north Missouri that houses some Iowa inmates has been leaking prisoners for awhile, and the sheriff in that county is running out of patience. Four prisoners from Iowa got out of the private prison in Pattonsburg, Missouri and returned to their home territory of Des Moines, where they were caught. Davies County, Missouri Sheriff Kevin Heldenbrand says the private jail has been leaking inmates for some time. Heldenbrand says there have been five break-outs in the past six months. He says that’s unacceptable.Heldenbrand says you’re going to lose prisoners once in a while, but the rash of break-outs at the private, for-profit prison is way over the line. Heldenbrand says they won’t have a business if improvements aren’t made. Missouri has no regulations in place for private prisons. The Missouri Sheriff says the Pattonsburg jail needs more staff.Polk County’s Sheriff has announced his staff will make surprise inspections at the Missouri prison, and has demanded improvements in prison security.
