Power restored at Clayton jail after 2-hour outage

By Megan Matteucci

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Electricity was restored to the Clayton County jail hours after a power outage in and near downtown Jonesboro, jail officials said.

About 1,900 inmates were in darkness for nearly two hours, before power returned around 10:30 p.m., Clayton County Sheriff Kem Kimbrough said.

Jail officials reported the outage at 8:22 p.m. Monday.

No inmates were missing as of 10 p.m., Kimbrough said, but deputies began a head count after the power was restored.

Georgia Power spokeswoman Lynn Wallace said more than 4,000 customers in downtown Jonesboro lost power shortly after 8 p.m. Power was out for only 40 minutes, Wallace said.

But the electricity remained out at the jail when the city lights went back on, jail officials said.

The back-up generator did not come on and there were some mechanical problems, Kimbrough said.

All  jail security and locks on the doors are power operated, he said, but the lock automatically lock as a default when power is lost.

But that also prevented jail employees from leaving, Kimbrough said.

A majority of deputies were ordered to return to the jail, where they have a perimeter surrounding the jail and courthouse on Tara Boulevard, complete with SWAT gear and patrol cars, he said.

Kimbrough said there have been no injuries to inmates and deputies. Jail spotlights are being shone into the perimeter to make sure no one escapes, authorities said.

Return to AJC.com for more updates.

-- Staff reporter Marcus K. Garner contributed to this report.