Chelan County Responds to City of Wenatchee Lawsuit Over Jail Restrictions

Chelan County responds to the lawsuit from the City of Wenatchee.

During a live interview with KPQ, District 2 Commissioner Shon Smith said the county has been in negotiation with the city to renew their contract for about six months.

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"We're asking the city to do the same thing that we ask all of our cities and user groups to do as well," Smith said. "I want to give a shout out to Douglas County commissoners for their willingness to be a true partner with us, because sometimes being a landlord isn't all it's cracked up to be and that's what we are in this situation."

Smith emphasizes the county will work this out with the city in arbitration. He could not comment on the validity of the city offering $2.2 million to renew the contract, nor did he comment on the termination notice pending in August.

The City issued a lawsuit to Chelan County Superior Court after the City Council unanimously voted to move forward with litigation. Mayor Mike Poirer issued an open letter stating the importance of public safety and cited repeated refusal to take inmates from the jail.

"Booking limitations are not unusual in any jail," Smith said. "Booking limitations are primarily based on the number of beds the jail has for detoxing."

According to Smith, the jail always accepts bookings for felonies, DUI, or domestic violence.

Smith says the jail housed 3,699 inmates during 2024, and 3,448 inmates in 2023. He says those numbers are up from the COVID-19 pandemic where the jail had more extreme restrictions.

Before the jail accepts an inmate, they must detox the individual. Smith says around 70 percent of the inmates they accept must go through the process.

"That's the frustrating part," Smith said. "They're coming in to us sicker than ever and with chronic illness and with chronic illness and with and detox is different for every person - no two detoxes are alike."

The jail has 24 single occupancy cells equipped with monitoring equipment for detoxing individuals. If the jail does not have room for a detox patient, the jail staff must triage the inmate.

"This is where it gets frustrating and concerning for us," Smith said. "It's a big suck on our ability to work within the entire jail system."

Smith believes this issue will be resolved with a situation suitable for both parties. He did not establish a timeline to resolve this dispute.