New Grant County jail begins housing inmates after successful transfer from old facility

"It's a huge moment for us. The men and women of the corrections division did an amazing job today." 

Grant County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy of Corrections Phillip Coats  

EPHRATA — Nearly four months after the ribbon cutting for the new Grant County Adult Corrections Facility, county officials completed the transfer of inmates Friday from the aging downtown jail, officially opening the new facility for full operations. 

About 100 inmates were moved from the old Grant County Jail to the new facility at 1890 Washington Way SE in Ephrata during a transfer operation that began around 7 a.m. and concluded shortly after noon. All inmates arrived safely, according to the Grant County Sheriff's Office. 

"We had 98 inmates to move this morning," said Kyle Foreman, public information officer for the sheriff's office. "The move went as planned and very smoothly." 

The transfer marks the closure of the former downtown jail, which had long faced capacity and infrastructure limitations. Beginning Friday, all individuals arrested in Grant County will be housed at the new corrections facility. 

The move followed months of preparation and years of planning. 

Foreman said the sheriff's office emergency management division worked closely with the corrections division to develop and test the transfer plan before moving day. 

"The planning for the transfer of all inmates has been going on for the past two months," Foreman said. "There were no incidents related to the move." 

According to Foreman, inmates were transported in secure jail vans in groups of nine to 12, arriving at the new facility through the sally port before being searched by canines for contraband and processed into their housing units. 

Chief Deputy of Corrections Phillip Coats said preparations for the transition began years earlier. 

"The transition started about 2022 together with the National Institute of Corrections," Coats said. "If it wasn't for those three to four years of planning, today's event would not have gone as smooth as it did." 

Coats said officials conducted tabletop exercises and developed multiple backup communication plans before the move. 

"We tried to plan for every unplanned event that we possibly could," he said. 

The new jail replaces a facility built in the late 1980s that officials said had outlived its useful life despite years of maintenance and upgrades. 

"The facility just aged out," Foreman said. "You could not incorporate any new safety features into that old of a structure without making major structural changes." 

County officials have previously described the new jail as a long-term investment in public safety. The facility opened with 512 beds and was designed to allow future expansion as Grant County grows. 

Foreman said the additional capacity will allow the county to house more inmates and serve warrants that previously could not always be booked because of space limitations. 

"Now that we have the capacity to accept more warrants, we expect there to be more people going to jail for outstanding warrants," Foreman said. 

The facility includes expanded medical services, improved security systems, surveillance cameras throughout the campus and additional layers of security, including perimeter fencing and modern electronic controls. 

The new jail also provides space for educational as well as treatment and recovery programs aimed at reducing recidivism. 

"We have the additional space to be able to have more AA meetings, NA meetings," Coats said. "We're currently working with SkillSource to be able to allow them into the facility to help better job placement at the time of release." 

Coats said the corrections division hopes expanded programming will help inmates successfully return to the community after release. 

Officials said staff are still learning the new facility's systems and expect additional adjustments in the coming months as operations continue. 

"There are always going to be new things to discover while we begin occupying this facility," Foreman said. 

For the corrections division, Friday's move represented the culmination of years of effort by employees, county leaders and community members who supported the project. 

"It's a huge moment for us," Coats said. "The men and women of the corrections division did an amazing job today." 

The new jail officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony June 17, but occupancy was delayed while officials completed staff training, installed communication systems and tested security equipment throughout the building. Sheriff Joey Kriete had previously said they would not move inmates until they were confident the facility was fully operational and secure. 

Foreman said the move also positions the sheriff's office for future growth. 

"For the county citizens, the corrections facility as well as the sheriff's office has more space," he said. "Our ability to do more things and grow as an agency is built into this facility for future growth." 

    The new Grant County Jail is occupied as of 12 p.m. Friday. Inmates were successfully transferred from the old facility to the new jail throughout the day Friday. Any new bookings will be conducted in the new facility.