The new Rutherford County Sheriff and a top prosecutor sat down with NewsChannel 5 to talk what it will take to fix the Rutherford County Detention Center.
Low morale, inmate suicides, costly lawsuits have all been symptoms of the county's former sheriff.
Even though former sheriff, Roberty Arnold, is gone, citizens said Robert Arnold damaged Rutherford County and the jail.
Two key players expect it will take time to fix the mess.
"I'm glad we closed that chapter of history in Rutherford county," said District Attorney Jennings Jones.
He kept a low-profile as the feds built their case against Robert Arnold, who last week pleaded guilty to public corruption.
now General Jones is finally speaking out.
"The biggest challenge he left facing us is he created distrust between the public and law enforcement," said Jones.
It's a legacy that has landed in the lap of new sheriff Mike Fitzhugh. This was his first interview since taking over two weeks ago.
He has since met with jail staff and wants them to relax.
"My job is not to come in here and chop heads and get rid of people," said Fitzhugh.
His priority is regaining the certification the jail lost for not following proper procedures under Arnold.
Fitzhugh thinks that might happen sooner than most expect.
"I'm hoping within the next 60 to 90 days," said Fitzhugh.
Then there's the little things to deal with in the sheriff's department. Anyone who ever met Arnold in his office couldn't help but notice he boosted his desk up, positioning it a little higher than anyone sitting before him.
Fitzhugh has lowered the desk, but hasn't had time to do more in office, which still sits relatively empty.
"Eventually, I may paint it or patch a hole in the wall, but that's not important right now," said Fitzhugh, who knows there are far more important things for him to address for the moment.
He's working hard to restore the communities faith in the sheriff's department. As for former sheriff Arnold? He had hoped to be free while awaiting sentencing and was quite disappointed when the judge denied his request.
Bottomline: Arnold will go straight from jail to prison. Arnold's sentencing was set for May, but is expected to be moved up to February or March.
He faces between 4 and 6 years in a federal prison.
