The man accused of murdering four people in Laurel, Nebraska, is still in the hospital and the cost of his care is on the county's dime. Jason Jones, 42, was taken into custody Friday.The state patrol said he shot Michele Ebeling, Gene and Janet Twiford and the couple's daughter, Dana.Investigators said he set fire to both homes and was badly burned. Cedar County taxpayers will foot the bill for Jones's hospital stay, already up to six days. The Cedar County sheriff and county commissioners said they know they will have to pay for Jones' mounting medical bills. They said their budget for the year is already set.They declined to speak with KETV for this story.A former county attorney said cases like this are like writing a blank check and hoping you can cover the costs."He is under the jurisdiction and control of the government and the government's responsible for his bills,” said Paul Schumacher, a former Platte County attorney and lawmaker.A Cedar County judge set Jason Jones' bond at $5 million saying he's "considered an extreme danger to public safety." He faces multiple counts of homicide, use of a weapon and arson charges.His attorneys said they can't even talk to Jones because of his medical state.That's a worry for former Platte County attorney Paul Schumacher."Those cases are a tremendous burden on any small county,” Schumacher said. "A criminal prosecution is an open-ended check."He said the moment Jones was taken into custody, Cedar County assumed the cost for his medical bills, per the law.So far, he's been in the hospital six days with extensive burns.Unless Jones has insurance, or the county seeks assistance from Medicare or law enforcement funds: “if the bills are justified and there is no alternative payer, it's something imposed on the taxpayers,” Schumacher said.Schumacher said the medical bills could've been Jones’s responsibility if police waited to arrest him and the county attorney waited to charge him until he had healed."In a case of medical care, sometimes that can be deferred. If they don't prosecute the charges right away, you've got a long time to file a charge in a homicide case," Schumacher said.Schumacher said there's no telling why the county attorney filed charges when he did.“They're just a dozen or more possible reasons why you would file right away. Most likely it was public pressure,” Schumacher said.Schumacher said these cases can devastate a small county's budget and there's already proof in the state.He served in the Nebraska legislature when Gage county requested the state's help in paying a major settlement."The most extreme case was down in Beatrice with the six people who were wrongfully prosecuted. I think they're still paying for that,” Schumacher said.Schumacher doesn't fault Cedar County for wanting justice but says it could cause major issues for the tax base in the county.“Probably is the last thing on the county attorney's mind when he filed charges that this could come with a substantial tab,” Schumacher said.Jones is still in the hospital, meaning those medical bills are only climbing. Schumacher said the county attorney could drop the charges and re-file once Jones is healed, but it’s unusual for them to choose to do that. Schumacher said the entire prosecution process is already costly without a suspect's medical bills involved.