Bee County Jail and the Bee County Sheriff’s Department are both located at 1511 E. Toledo Street in Beeville, TX 78102. The phone number is 361-362-3221. Alden E. Southmayd III is the Bee County Sheriff. The online information to be found on Sheriff Southmayd’s county page is scarce and includes nothing other than two links. One is a VINELink.com connection that can be used to check the custody status of “offenders.” There is also a link to MissingKids.com, and it provides a connection to information about missing Texas children.

Bee County Jail is brand new. The construction of the new facility was completed in summer 2020. Soon after, there was a ribbon-cutting ceremony and an Open House that allowed tours of the 52,000 square-foot facility. Just a few weeks ago, inmates were housed in the new facility. Bee County Jail holds 143 inmates

Sheriff Southmayd gave interviews during the construction of the new county jail in Beeville, and he described the old facility as being dilapidated. He said there were serious structural problems, including plumbing issues they couldn’t afford to fix. Sewer problems, he said, were among the worst issues at the old jail.

Not long before the new Bee County Jail opened in summer, Sheriff Southmayd said there had been no cases of COVID-19 in the jail and it’s partly because of the screening process before going into the jail and partly because of sanitation practices while the inmates are in jail.

The new $25 million Bee County Jail was paid for through certificates of obligation. Bee County’s inmate capacity in the jail went from 128 beds to a 143-bed facility. Design and the latest technology are expected to make a big difference between the old and the new Bee County Jail. Plans are reportedly to tear down the old jail, which was built in 1989. This post is for helpful general, public information only and does not intend to imply and does not assert any misconduct or wrongdoing by any person, jail, county, or governmental agency.

–Guest Contributor