Electric controls for jail cell lights and locks on the fritz in Worth County

NORTHWOOD — The electrical system controlling the lights and door locks in the cell block at the Worth County Jail in Northwood has failed.

Worth County Sheriff Dan Fank has briefed the Worth County Board of Supervisors. “The computer running the thing is 13 years old. The software is a special custom by Electronic Engineering and their employees, so it’s not a good situation,” Fank said. “We’ve been ‘BAND-AIDing’ it for a while. They told me: ‘Put a new computer in.” Well, that’s not working.”

Fank said there have been no security issues, as he and his deputies are manually opening cell doors and flipping light switches because it’s not a position he wants jail employees to be in. If the latest computer fix is unsuccessful, the county’s board of supervisors will explore buying a new electronic security system for the county’s jailhouse, which was built in 1955.