VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – The state of North Dakota has lowered the grade of the Barnes County jail from a Class I to a Class III facility following a December inspection.

Barnes County Sheriff Randy McClaflin said he’s disappointed with the state’s decision but he said the process to build a new jail will continue to move forward.

McClaflin said the state found 19 non-compliant violations. He said under the new rule the Barnes County jail will only be able to keep inmates for a maximum of four days, then they will have to be transferred to other jail facilities in the state.

Earlier this year, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation told Barnes County officials to have a plan in place to either renovate or build a new jail.

A previous inspection of the jail back in November 2017 found the facility to be non-compliant with multiple standards before being reinstated later to a Class I jail in 2018.

Jail Inspection