Sheriff Glen Kochanowski is asking Saline County Commissioners for more security cameras in the jail after the recent discovery of a hole in a jail cell ceiling – dug out by an inmate.

“We have never had enough staff. We have never had what I consider enough cameras to cover all the areas,” Kochanowski said.

“When you can’t do those kind of things this is what happens, inmates take advantage of it.”

Kochanowski tells KSAL News that the man who made the hole last month is no longer in the jail because he was sent to prison.

Staff at the facility say the inmate stood on a top bunk and used a toilet handicap rail to chip away at the ceiling near a skylight. The man also managed to break through a wire mesh behind the concrete and covered his work up using a mix of wet toilet paper like a paper mache mat.

The Sheriff says the hole, which was about 31 inches by 12 inches, was not big enough for the man to escape through but highlights the need for better video surveillance at the Saline County Jail.

Kochanowski briefed commissioners on Tuesday about the discovery.

“We currently have 28 cameras covering inside and outside the facility,” Kochanowski said. “There’s at least a dozen places back there that need more coverage, and probably even more than that.”

Sheriff Kochanowski says his staff has been looking for grants to upgrade the video package at the facility.

The damage was repaired with a welded steel plate over the opening.