Chattooga County Sheriff John Everett is not returning media phone calls concerning why he moved 40 inmates to a neighboring county when he is $300, 000 over budget for 2012 and facing employee layoffs because there won't be enough funds to pay them after October 1.

Everett is reported to have moved the inmates on Sept. 1. The inmates being housed out of county now is reportedly up to 55 per day according to the Summerville News. Floyd county charges $35 per day, per inmate. Since Sept. 2, the sheriff has run up a bill of about $19.000. It costs about $7 a day for the county to house a county inmate in our county jail, according to Sheriff's department personnel.

Everett leaves office at the end of this year after losing the democratic runoff to Trion Police Officer Mark Schrader by 70 percent of the vote. Schrader is a former Chattooga County Sheriff's deputy.

Schrader told AM1180 on Thursday that if he remembers correctly, the county is under a federal mandate and has been for years. He said He thinks the jail is only allowed to house up to 47 inmates and 52 in an emergency.

Republican candidate Jamie Dawson who will run against Schrader in the November election was surprised when he heard so many inmates were being housed out of county. He told AM1180 that Everett for four years has had 80 to 90 inmates housed in the jail at one time and can't understand why he would move so many out of town when there are budget issues. Dawson is also a former Sheriff's Deputy.

County Commissioner Jason Winters was in Athens on Thursday and unavailable for comment.

Everett told AM 1180 earlier in the year and before this situation arose that he prided himself on housing inmates in the county and saving the county money.

Right now, the jail sits half empty with 40 inmates. There is reportedly room for more than 80. There was work going inside the jail earlier this week. Ramsey Construction Inc. was replacing tiles in some of the showers.