Commissioner Mark Thomas talked with NEWS9 about the cost of shipping inmates and housing prisoners outside of their original county, and he said it costs millions.

Thomas said Belmont County has spent $50 to $60 per day, per inmate, housing prisoners at jails in Jefferson, Noble and Washington counties.

And Thomas said, in all, throughout the last five to seven years Belmont County has spent at least $1 million housing inmates at other jails.

For reasons such as this, Sheriff Fred Abdallah told NEWS9 the Jefferson County Jail is in a bind.

The Jefferson jail cannot afford to house its inmates locally, and housing them elsewhere is nearly equally costly.

Abdallah told NEWS9 he and the Jefferson County commissioners met Friday to discuss problems at the jail, but still no resolution has been found.

--Ashley Koe, NEWS9