Dozens of Inmates Moved From East Texas Jail

Van Zandt County sherif says the locks are not working

More than 120 inmates have been moved from an East Texas jail because the locks are not working properly.

The Van Zandt County Sheriff's Office did not report any escapes from the main jail in Canton, 50 miles southeast of Dallas.

Sheriff Michael Lindsey Ray said Tuesday that inmates figured out a way to compromise the locking systems. Details weren't released.

Ray says contractors must replace internal components of the defective locks. The fixes could take two weeks.

Prisoners were transferred to jails in Henderson, Kaufman and Upshur counties after the lock problems were discovered Monday. Van Zandt County will pay about $30 per inmate, per day.

The county's minimum security jail has a different locking system and those inmates are not affected.
 

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