Inmates again cause sewer backup at jail

There was a mess to clean up at the Sedgwick County Jail on Monday after inmates flushed plastic bags, trash and towels down the commode.

The resulting blockage in the sewer lines of one of the jail’s housing units — Pod 4 — caused some flooding and displaced about 85 inmates, the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday in a news release. The blockage occurred at 1 p.m. and stretched all the way to Pod 8, which is overhead, Lt. Lin Dehning said.

Plumbers had the lines cleared by about 8:30 p.m.

The sheriff’s office doesn’t know which inmates were responsible for the toilet mayhem. But, Dehning said, if they’re caught they could face charges of criminal damage to property.

The 85 displaced inmates were moved to the jail’s gymnasium until the problem was fixed, the sheriff’s office said.

Monday’s was the second sewer backup caused by inmates intentionally flushing large items down the toilets in the last two months.

This story was originally published August 9, 2016 at 2:43 PM with the headline "Inmates again cause sewer backup at jail."