By Marla Jones, Managing Editor • marla@southerntorch.com

DeKALB COUNTY, Ala. — (Full video at southerntorch.com) On Tuesday, DeKalb County Sheriff Nick Welden held a press conference regarding accusations of a COVID-19 outbreak at the DeKalb County Detention Center.

“The answer is yes. We have COVID-19 in the detention center. We have COVID-19 in every community there is...it’s just one of those things we’re having to deal with,” stated Welden. He continued to say while there are cases in the jail, they are being treated accordingly.

"I assure you, everything is being handled in an appropriate, professional [manner] and by every guideline and policy that can be handled the right way," said Welden. "No one is left in the trenches, no one's laying there being sick for days...if there's any kind of symptom or anything going on, we know about it." 

"I think people kind of get in a confusion mold thinking we're a hospital, we're a detention center...we have to follow our guidelines and policy for safety as well as those policies and guidelines for medical conditions," he continued.

Welden did not confirm how many cases of the novel coronavirus were within the jail, due to regulations provided by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC); however, he did state that 14 members of the staff of the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office were either sick with the virus or in quarantine due to exposure.

Welden confirmed there were two cases of COVID-19 in the detention center last year, becoming one of the last detention centers within the State of Alabama to be impacted by the virus. Welden attributed the low number of cases in 2020 to the “true, diligent, relentless work from our staff and the jail administration who followed every protocol and CDC guideline you could follow, and they still are.”

Two staff members of the sheriff’s office passed away last year due to complications from COVID-19: Mickey Bowen, 49, who served with the sheriff’s office for over 20 years, and Jeff Bain, who served as a senior lieutenant and patrol supervisor.

Holding up his personal Bible, Welden stated while “it’s torn and it’s tattered, and it’s beaten and it’s rough, but there’s one thing I can promise you about this Bible: it’s good on the inside. And the people that work at this office are no different.” 

Welden went on to thank all of his employees for going above the call of duty to keep all inmates safe.