By C1 Staff
OROVILLE, Calif. — Nearly 600 inmates were transferred to neighboring jails after officials ordered an evacuation of the area due to flooding dangers from the Oroville Dam.
Butte County Jail was in the zone that would receive significant damage if the Oroville Dam spillway gave out, CBS SF reported. Authorities ordered residents and businesses to evacuate the area Sunday evening, according to the Los Angeles Times.
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Sheriff Kory Honea called Alameda County Sheriff Greg Ahern and transferred the inmates to Santa Rita Jail and Glenn Dyer Detention Facility Sunday night, according to the Mercury News.
“It was necessary for us to evacuate those inmates,” Honea said at a news conference. “At the time I did not disclose the location where those inmates were going to be housed because it would have posed a security risk while they were in transit.”
Spokesman Sgt. Ray Kelly said there is “plenty of room” for the transferred inmates at Santa Rita Jail. The jail currently houses 2,500 inmates a day, but can hold up to 5,000 if necessary, CBS SF reported.
Kelly said he believes the inmates will be transferred back to Butte County “in a matter of several days.”
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