Mold invades Turner County sheriff’s office

PARKER, SD (KELO) — Turner County commissioners have approved building a new courthouse at the cost of nearly $20 million. A new building can’t come soon enough for the Turner County Sheriff’s Office. That’s because black mold is now the latest threat to the century-old courthouse.

A dehumidifier has been running non-stop in the second-floor evidence room of the Turner County Courthouse after a sheriff’s deputy spotted mold growing on the wall last week.

“Myself and another deputy were down there and all of a sudden, we see a whole wall of black stuff and so I called my boss and he came down and he took a lot at it and cleared everybody out and it’s been growing ever since,” Turner County Sheriff’s Deputy Erik Dods said.

The mold is the result of all the rain that caused part of the roof over the sheriff’s office to leak. The roof has been repaired, but just how much more the mold will grow is anyone’s guess.

“The question is where does it end? Is it limited to that room or is it limited to this office? We don’t know that at this time,” Turner County Sheriff Jamie Buteyn said.

The county has purchased this former bank building located just down the street from the courthouse with the plan of turning it into a temporary home for the sheriff’s office.

“I believe the state’s attorney’s office, our court services officer and my office will all move up there. It’s part of a plan to eventually move all of the employees out while we figure out what we’re going to do with this building,” Buteyn said.

Staffers have been working inside a courtroom just down the hall from the sheriff’s office ever since the water problems first began. Now mold is the latest trial underway in the courthouse.

Intek is scheduled to arrive next week to assess the building’s mold problem.

Meanwhile, the sheriff says it could be another two years before construction gets underway on a new courthouse. One complicating factor could be whether the project gets put to a public vote.

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