SMITHFIELD – Inmates were relocated to the new Johnston County Detention Center, Sunday morning.
Around 6:15am, a prisoner transport bus carrying the first 34 inmates departed from the Johnston County Jail, at the Johnston County Courthouse, to the new 118,000 square foot Detention Center on US 70 East.
The Johnston County Sheriff’s Office STAR Team (SWAT Team) was on hand with the Bearcat armored vehicle, along with extra uniformed deputies, and a sheriff’s K-9 unit, to closely monitor the transfer of 283 inmates from the old to new jail.
Deputies blocked intersections along Market Street through Downtown Smithfield while the heavily-guarded prisoner transport bus made its way to the new detention facility. The process was repeated several times, with up to 34 inmates on the bus each trip.
Inmates board a prisoner transport bus at the Johnston County Courthouse Sunday morning, July 30, 2023 for transport to the new Johnston County Detention Center. Johnston County Report Photo 
Inmates board a prisoner transport bus at the Johnston County Courthouse Sunday morning, July 30, 2023 for transport to the new Johnston County Detention Center. Johnston County Report Photo 
A heavily-guard prisoner transport bus leaves the Johnston County Jail at the Johnston County Courthouse headed to the new Johnston County Detention Facility Sunday, July 30, 2023. Johnston County Report Photo 
The first inmates arrive at the new Johnston County Detention Facility Sunday, July 30, 2023. Johnston County Report Photo
The prisoner transfer and opening date of the new $41.2 million detention center could not be disclosed in advance due to security reasons.
All 283 inmates were relocated by midday Sunday without any issues.
They should’ve made him walk there.
And pick up trash and trim the grass with scissors while on that stroll!
Unfortunately that’s been contracted out..
Should had been marched to labor farms. Not air conditioning and television. House them in tents and work them from sun up to sundown. Good enough for our military good enough for the prisoners.
They are as much humans made in Gods image and his children as any of us. Your inner truth is allowing the essence of your true soul to be unmasked the same as the Nazi did.
Well I’m not scared to say it I was one of them 43 female inmates that was transported to the new jail on Sunday morning at 7:15 a.m. and you know all people locked up are not bad people and deserve cruel and harsh punishments as of cutting grass with God d**n scissors not a March there been all fine by me I ain’t care but y’all taking it way too far when some of us have only I have to pull a weekend or a week in jail just it for their probation to end and all they’re doing is using a tax dollars like that but y’all see it as everybody being locked up is a criminal and a bad criminal and deserve all these hard punishment we’re really all in all you don’t know what they’re in there for you could have committed the same crime just you didn’t get caught and we did so just think about that the next time you open your trap and I don’t mean to trap door in the jail I mean the one located on your face and wanting to talk s*** because someone has a past everybody got skeletons in their closet some of us just come out with ours we’re not scared to hide the truth from anyone and by that jail didn’t even have everything hooked up the water tastes like dirt supposedly best filtration system than any the TVs don’t work two days later your phones don’t work the other tablets don’t work little emergency button on the wall won’t stop ringing but yet it’s worth so much it’s a waste of taxpayer dollars when it could have fixed up the old one but that’s just my opinion and it’s like a**holes everybody’s got one