Covington County sheriff fires 3 correctional officers

Updated: Mar. 14, 2019 at 6:23 PM CDT
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COVINGTON COUNTY, AL (WSFA) - Three of the 27 members of the Covington County Jail staff are out of a job after being fired by Sheriff Blake Turman.

He says it was a “‘seasoned” inmate, a prison lawyer who turned them in this week.

“I appreciated him telling me about it," Turman said. “We looked into it. We checked the video of the jail and everything, and it was true they were allowing the inmates to pass out the mail. And they had some doors that were unsecured. Yes, they were open - not to get outside - but it was one door closer to getting outside,” the sheriff continued.

The violations weren’t criminal in nature but a case of not paying attention on the job. The sheriff also added that there were no sensitive legal documents jeopardized.

“They knew what they done was wrong," the sheriff said.

The correctional officers had a combined work experience of about five years and were all under the age of 30. Their names were not released.

“The last thing I ever want is to terminate someone, but I was elected to make the tough decisions," the county’s top cop said.

The sheriff said the former officers will not be able to appeal their dismissals. The firings are final. The search for their replacements has already started.

Turman said he has no reason to believe the inmate in question will face any sort of retribution.

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