Jail stabbing: What are the issues of concern?

Shortly after 9 am, Mobile Fire-Rescue received a report of a stabbing with multiple victims at Metro Jail.

Warden Trey Oliver says there was a fight involving an inmate arrested Wednesday night and brought in to the jail Thursday morning.

Oliver said, "Shortly after he arrived, a fight broke out between him and another inmate. and a knife was produced and the inmate that had just entered the cell, we believe cut the other inmate."

Fire officials say the inmate that was stabbed suffered multiple cuts and stab wounds to the face, neck, and shoulder area and was brought to USA Medical Center.

The other inmate was taken to Mobile Infirmary for cuts.

But Oliver believes neither has life threatening injuries.

How did the knife get into the jail?

Oliver said, "At this point, we're assuming the knife made it in on the latest arrestee that was brought in last night, but we haven't confirmed that yet."

He said inmates are strip searched when they are brought into jail, but authorities are checking security cameras in hopes of seeing how that knife got in.

Oliver said, "Apparently, a few people didn't do their job and, we're all we human."

The warden said the jail books between 15,000 and 18,000 people a year and, in his words, you're not going to get it right a hundred percent of the time.

He said, "It was early in the morning. That will be one of our issues of concern or one of our areas we will look into. Is this a training issue, a new employee issue?"

Oliver also said the inmate brought in Wednesday night was locked down in the docket area for several hours because of a high caseload and was combative.

The warden also says the docket area is small and can become crowded.

He said, "It is inadequate, the size that it is now. The county commission is aware of that and plans are certainly underway to expand the docket area

Oliver said the jail was put on lockdown Thursday morning and the Major Crimes Unit and Mobile County District Attorney's will investigate to see if charges will be filed in the case.