BY RITA COOK / News Editor
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WAXAHACHIE – Plumbing problems wreaked havoc at the Ellis County Sheriff’s Department when, about a week-and-a-half ago, faulty pipes led to a flood there.
According to Ellis County Sheriff Brad Norman, there was about two-inches of water standing everywhere.
The result is the removal of sheet rock in the departments that were waterlogged including the Criminal Investigation Division, the Civil Division and Warrants Division, the Texas Game Warden Offices, the Crime Scene Tech and Lab and the lobby of the building, which is also the lobby for the Wayne McCollum Detention Center.
Currently, a company has been hired to strip the sheet rock and dry everything out with fans and dehumidifiers.
“It is a mess,” said Norman of the flood.
“We had just put all new flooring in so they had to rip all that up. If it had been on the ground for three or four weeks the glue would have cured.
“But since it didn’t, it started bubbling up – and they had to pull all the flooring up, take all the sheet rock out, and all the desks are going to have to be trashed – they are water logged.”
Fortunately the cost will be covered by insurance and not affect taxpayers.
Norman estimated it would likely be three or four weeks for the work to be complete and his Department back up and running.
Meanwhile, CID has relocated to the Law Enforcement Center on County Farm 878, the Civil and Warrants Divisions have relocated to Ellis County in the Adult Probation area, and video visitation for the jail is not available except off-site.
“We have people farmed out everywhere,” Norman concluded.
“However, no evidence was destroyed and the jail, other than the lobby visitation, was not affected.”
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