Richards Remember Old Jail House Stories With Sheriff Jacobson

Sheriff Zach Jacobsen relocated his staff and administration offices to 102 North Mine Street a few weeks before the old County Sheriff’s Office was razed at the corner of High Street and Mine Street.

As the building was cleared and ready for demolition, Sheriff Jacobsen had expressed wanting to have one ‘final meeting’ at the old Sheriff’s Office.

The meeting took place on Thursday, May 11th, 2023 with George Richards and Jerry Richards on hand that morning.

Interest fact that with almost 50 years between them, the ‘Richards Boys’ had different stories to tell; from different perspectives, for sure.

George Richards’ father, Stephen Thomas Richards, served as Washington County Sheriff from 1924 to 1928 and then again from 1932 to 1936. You might ask what happened to Stephen T. from 29 to 32? He decided to run for the Missouri House of Representatives and won. He served there from 1930 to 1932.

George said, “Dad wanted nothing to do with Jeff City after being there for two years. He decided to come back to Washington County and served another term as Sheriff.”

George said he couldn’t really tell much about the old building as he was born there the year his Dad went out of office. He did remember the story, “Mom and Dad had a falling out with someone over in St. Francois County and the birth of his older brother." He said, “I don’t know if it was a doctor, the hospital or what for sure, but Mom told Dad she wasn’t going back there. So, when I was born she had me at home, at the County Jail.”

Jerry Richards, son of Steven J. Richards (J is for Jerry), lived at the old jail house from 1965 to 1981. His Dad, locally known best as ‘Sonny’, moved his family to the Mallow-Richards Farm at Palmer when he decided not to seek re-election in 1988.

Jerry said he remembered many, many times at the old building. A lot of his memories and stories included other employees at the Sheriff’s Department - deputies, clerks, cooks and more.

Jerry walked through and described what he remembered as the layout of the building before several changes had been made after Sonny’s era of law enforcement.

One of the stories Jerry told on the front porch of the building was from Sonny. He said his Dad said that when he became Sheriff in 1964, he visited the Sheriff’s Office one time before taking office. He said he found out what keys were what and where things were. Sonny said he got a ticket book along with his ‘Oath of Office’ and that was that. There weren’t any requirements to be Sheriff at that time - just live in the County and be a registered voter.

Jerry said, “Dad still had that same ticket book, without ever writing a ticket, when he retired.” He said Dad always said ticket writing was for Highway Patrol and City Police. The Sheriff’s Department had to deal with theft and violence and that was his concern first.

When the Richards lived in the jail house and Jerry was young, he said he could remember hearing some of the guys in lock up digging at the mortar between the bricks. “Guess they didn’t have much else to do.”

Jerry said he told his Dad about it and Sonny said, “Oh son, that’s probably just rats.”

Well, one time an inmate did make it up through the roof, dropped down through the ceiling and out a front window on to the front porch to try to escape. Jerry said Sonny said, “Guess them rats are getting bigger!”

The inmate was captured not long after and put back in to lock up.

Jerry remembered family and friends coming to see those in the lock up and the noise of the jail house.

He said that the only phone at the Sheriff’s was in the closet by the front door. Jerry described the home they used for those years with kitchen and dining on the main floor with their bedrooms upstairs at the front.

Jerry said they used to have folks ask if Sonny was worried about having Jerry’s room right up there in front of the cells? Jerry said his Dad’s answer was always, “If we got some body trying to escape, I don’t think they’d want to try to drag Jerry along!”

If you see George Richards or Jerry Richards out and about in the community, ask them about the old days at the Sheriff’s. Both, I’m sure, will have a tale or two they’d share.