Heat forces evacuation of inmates

BETHANY, Mo. -- About a dozen inmates have been evacuated from the Harrison County Jail after a broken blower sent temperatures soaring well above the 100-degree mark.

The inmates were moved on June 24 to Pattonsburg's private Mid West Security housing. They will return to the jail once the broken blower and toilets are repaired.

"It wouldn't have been so bad if the blower was working, but it wasn't," Harrison County Sheriff Rick Dierenfeldt said. "The heat index outside was 111 degrees. I'd guess it was 120 to 130 in that jail. They're out until we get it fixed."

Groundbreaking for a new law enforcement center in this northern Missouri county is scheduled later this summer. Until the new facility opens, officials are trying to keep the Harrison County jail open with patchwork fixes.