Inmates Escorted To New Fayette County Jail

FAYETTE COUNTY, Pa. — (WPXI) – Nearly 160 inmates were escorted from the 131-year-old Fayette County Jail to their new facility on Wednesday. Warden John Lenkey tells our news partners at Channel 11 that he and his team have been preparing for this transfer for a long time, including help from several police agencies. “We managed to move successfully without any issues whatsoever, went very smooth today. Close to 160 inmates were moved from our old facility to our new facility,” Lenkey said. The new jail is located on the former site of the US Army Reserve Center, which sat vacant since the early 2000s. The Fayette County Prison Project Team decided they’d demolish the building and build a state-of-the-art new facility, which has more rooms, space for double the inmates, and focus on rehabilitation. The former jail is a historic landmark and was built in 1892. The warden said it wasn’t large enough or safe enough for the guards or inmates. Commissioners haven’t made any decisions on the future of the former jail, but say their options are limited because it’s a historic landmark.