Sheriff blames building for escape

Stillwater County Sheriff Cliff Brophy blamed an inadequate facility for the temporary escape of a wanted, convicted felon late last week.
The sequence of events last Wednesday, March 9, was as follows:
•A woman who ended up being a convicted felon had been arrested by Columbus police, sentenced to jail and remanded by the Columbus City Court judge to the custody of the sheriff’s office to be fingerprinted before being transported to the Yellowstone County Detention Facility in Billings.
•She was put in the only room designated to hold prisoners at the sheriff’s office. That room does not have a lock on the door because federal law prohibits a locking door on any room where a juvenile may be held. Because the sheriff’s office has just one room to hold prisoners, juveniles are often held there.
•The deputy who had custody of the prisoner asked a non-law enforcement staff member to watch her so the deputy could get fingerprint cards and paperwork in an adjacent room. That staff member did not know the door did not lock and the inmate stepped out of the processing room and walked down the hallway in the opposite direction.
The escape was discovered when the arresting Columbus police officer returned to the sheriff’s office.
Brophy said there will be no disciplinary action taken in the matter “Because of the facility and the inherent flaws in it, I strongly believe that it would be unfair to discipline an employee in this circumstance.”
Brophy also made the troubling prediction that this scenario will likely be repeated with grave consequences, again due to inadequate space to safely conduct business.
“It will only be a matter of time when this leads to a tragic event,” Brophy said this week, adding that the danger exists not only to the public, but to the sheriff’s staff as well.
Brophy does plan to conduct follow-up in-house training with all deputies, reserves and the transport officer, saying “this incident illustrates the importance of a periodic review of policies and procedures and communicating those P&P not only to the staff, but to all of the other law enforcement users.”

Escapee was a wanted, convicted violent offender

The shoplifter who escaped from the Stillwater County Sheriff’s Office last week turned out to be a wanted, convicted violent offender who had been classified as “non-compliant” by the Montana Department of Justice.
Tammy Jean Rhodes, 49, was arrested last Wednesday, March 9, on misdemeanor charges of theft and obstructing a peace officer for stealing a pint of tequila from a Columbus liquor store and then giving several false names and dates of birth when questioned by Columbus police.
She appeared in Columbus City Court and was immediately sentenced to six months in jail, using the name Tammy Cleveland.
While left unattended in the booking room at the sheriff’s office waiting to be fingerprinted, Rhodes walked out of the building. She was discovered missing at approximately 1:26 p.m. and deputies, Columbus police and Montana Highway Patrol troopers launched an immediate manhunt. She was found about an hour later northeast of the old hospital, near the Columbus High School practice field, according to Stillwater County Dispatch records.
Rhodes was immediately brought back before Columbus City Court Judge Lee Cornell to appear on a new charge of escape. The following day, Rhodes pleaded guilty to the new charge and told Cornell she was probably going back to prison because she was wanted by the Department of Corrections.
Rhodes criminal history includes felony convictions in Silver Bow County for aggravated assault, criminal possession of drugs, criminal endangerment and felony DUI, according to the Department of Corrections (DOC) and the Montana Department of Justice.
She is also listed as “non-compliant” on the state’s Sexual and Violent Offender Register.
Local law enforcement was not aware of Rhodes “non-compliant” status or her violent criminal history prior to the escape, said Stillwater County Undersheriff Chip Kem.