Seven people have been charged for smuggling drugs and cell phones to inmates at the already troubled Bedford County.
In addition to that discovery, investigators said they found makeshift weapons and several homemade water-powered tattoo guns when they searched the jail.
The Bedford County Sheriff said over the course of a week or more, inmates broke out part of a window at the county jail, and replaced it with clear plastic to disguise it.
They said someone from the outside passed through the cell phones and marijuana for inmates inside. Investigators searched inmates in the jail and found the other hidden items.
Investigators said they found about 10 makeshift tattoo guns made out of shampoo bottles, toothbrushes and rubber gloves -- all capable of being powered by water from a jail faucet.
YOU'VE GOTTA SEE THIS: A water-powered homemade tattoo gun was one of the items found during raids at the Bedford Co....
Posted by NC5_JasonLamb on Wednesday, March 23, 2016
Six of the seven people arrested were inmates at the jail.
This was just the latest trouble for the Bedford County Jail. The sheriff said the jail is old and severely overcrowded, and the Tennessee Corrections Institute said it could be de-certified later this year.
The Bedford County Sheriff said he has been working on getting a new jail built, but until that happens, he was worried about future problems continuing at the jail.
“Our jail staff does a good job, but when you're that overcrowded, it really stretches them thin and it creates a dangerous environment not only for our jail staff, but for all the inmates, and we do worry quite a bit about things like this happening,” said Bedford County Sheriff Austin Swing.
Swing said Bedford County homeowners would likely see an increase in property taxes to pay for a new jail, after voters turned down a wheel tax this month to pay for it.
