Freestone County Sheriff Jeremy Shipley announced that Jail Administrator Sheena Wimberly has resigned from her post. Mrs. Wimberly was recently put on paid leave following the discovery that as Jail Administrator, she is required to have a Jailer’s License, of which she did not have. During her time off, she was to obtain said license, but has chosen to resign her position instead.
A replacement has yet to be hired, but Sheriff Shipley says he is currently trying to insure all tasks and responsibilities are being carried out with the assistance from Sheriff’s Administrator, Records Clerk, and Jail Staff.
“With the pay we have allocated for Jailers set at $26,400 a year, it’s difficult to obtain and keep good help working in a facility that’s continuously under maintenance due to age, and wear and tear, in the type of environment they are asked to work in, and working shift work not knowing when the schedule may change due to a shortage of officers,” he explains.
“The Jail Administrator position only pays a little over $31,600 and is a lot of responsibility to take on under circumstances that we deal with that aren’t ideal. The shortage of manpower, even when we are considered fully staffed, because we are only allotted the bare minimum the State of Texas requires, so if and when people need time off, get sick, or have any unfortunate occurrence, it creates an immediate manpower and scheduling issue.”
He says that the Jail Administrator position requires a great deal of knowledge, training, and experience. “Unfortunately for us, someone with these necessary qualities usually finds a better situation and better pay within a half hour to an hour down the road.”
Sheriff Shipley says that there are similar issues with our neighbors in Limestone and Anderson Counties.
“Regardless, those of us who are here have a job that we are expected to do, and we will continue to do the job to the best of our ability with what we have to do that job with,” he concludes.