North Fulton police departments are exploring inmate housing alternatives after Fulton County officials unexpectedly announced the closure of the Alpharetta jail.
Fulton County sheriff’s officials said in a Jan. 3 statement they plan to close the North Annex Jail Facility in Alpharetta by July 1. The decision is part of a plan to address concerns about the county’s jail operations raised by the U.S. Department of Justice.
The North Annex Jail Facility, 2555 Old Milton Parkway, is owned and operated by the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office to allow Alpharetta and other nearby cities, like Johns Creek, Roswell and Milton, to house inmates there.
The county’s remedial plan stems from a consent order between the Department of Justice and sheriff’s office. The consent order follows a civil rights investigation into the Fulton County Jail operation, particularly the main facility on Rice Street in Atlanta.
Department of Justice investigators began looking into the jail after the death of Lashawn Thompson, who was arrested on a simple battery charge and accused of spitting on a Georgia Tech officer.
The department found Thompson was malnourished, infested with “an enormous presence of body lice” and “neglected to death” when he was found deceased in his “filthy cell” at the main jail on Rice Street.
