Holding cell to be in former county jail

The county will explore holding illegal immigrants in the county lockup.
By MARY GRZEBIENIAK
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
MERCER, Pa. -- The Mercer County Prison Board has agreed to spend about $2,000 to make a section of the former county jail on South Diamond Street into a holding cell for prisoners having hearings at the courthouse.
Sheriff William Romine said that since the December move into the new jail in Findley Township, deputies must transport prisoners a five-mile round trip to the courthouse. This becomes burdensome, he said, when hearings break during the day and there is no secure place for prisoners to wait. The old jail is across a street from the courthouse.
The board agreed Monday to convert most of the old administrative section into a holding area. The prison board also relinquished jurisdiction and responsibility for the remainder of the old jail. This frees Mercer County Commissioners to use other parts of the building, probably for storage.
Housing illegal immigrants
Also Monday, two representatives from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Pittsburgh Office attended the prison board meeting to inform the prison board what must be done to have the county jail qualify as a temporary holding facility for illegal immigrants picked up on Interstate Routes 79 and 80. ICE Officer Alex Simon III, said Mercer County would be reviewed for compliance with standards. Warden Jeffrey Gill said he wants to look over the standards before making a commitment.
If the county agrees to house the prisoners, it would mean extra income for the jail. Simon said the county would be paid a daily rate for housing prisoners up to 72 hours.
Mercer's daily cost to house a prisoner is $67 and the county would insist on that amount, officials said. Currently, illegal immigrants picked up in Mercer County are housed in the Lawrence County Jail.