McIntosh inmate sues to close old jail

BRUNSWICK - A McIntosh County inmate has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to close the current county jail and open the new four million detention center that was completed in February but has remained empty due to political infighting. <br> <br> In a class-action suit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court, Douglas Alexander, an attorney representing Lee Stuart Guest and all other inmates, asked that the old 24-bed jail be closed immediately. <br> <br> The suit claims among other things that the jail is overcrowded, filthy and bug-infested. <br> <br> Meanwhile, the new 61-bed jail remains vacant because McIntosh County Sheriff Charles ``Chunk&#39;&#39; Jones and county commissioners cannot agree over staffing. <br> <br> Jones said he cannot safely operate the new jail without 16 additional jailers. The county commission has said it would hire four with Jones reassigning members of his current staff to the jail. <br> <br> Jones said he had not seen the suit and could not comment. <br> <br> Alexander has long been an advocate of prisoner and inmate rights. Other lawsuits he has filed in federal court resulted in a new jail in Glynn County and the closing of the Charlton County jail.

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