The Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio declared an "overcrowding emergency" last week and closed its doors to prisoners from Defiance and Henry counties.

Officials at the regional jail in Stryker acted after the facility remained above 95 percent capacity for a third straight day last Sunday. Defiance and Henry counties were barred from sending additional prisoners because both counties were using more than their allotted number of beds.

As of midnight Sunday, the jail had prisoners in 611 of its 642 beds. Defiance County's inmate count was 75.5, compared with a limit of 65, while Henry County was using 40.33 beds, just over its quota of 39.

Toledo and Lucas County were close to their bed limits, according to the jail's Sunday night census. Lucas County's inmate count was 184.6, just under its limit of 187. Toledo was using 241 of its 254 beds.

Municipalities are charged for a portion of a bed for an inmate arrested or sentenced in multiple jurisdictions.

So far this month, the jail's population has averaged 576, or 90 percent of capacity, up from 556, or 87 percent, last month.

Jim Dennis, the jail's executive director, said the emergency would be lifted when the jail's census drops to 90 percent of capacity, or 578 beds.

 "I wish I could predict the ebb and flow of inmates," Dennis said. "We're pretty much at the mercy of the courts and law enforcement."

Dennis wrote to area judges asking them to consider early releases for some inmates to ease crowding at the Williams County facility. "It greatly displeases me to put law enforcement, the courts, and the citizens of northwest Ohio in this position," he wrote. "However, overcrowding is affecting the safety and security of the offenders and employees at CCNO."

Officials of the municipalities affected said they'd try to help ease the jail's plight.

Judge C. Allen McConnell of Toledo Municipal Court said he would ask the court's other judges to review their prisoner lists and consider early releases. "We're at 95 percent of our bed allocation," he said. "We're not over our allocation, but typically, we try to stay below 90 percent, and I'm sure we can accomplish that."

Judge James Jensen of Lucas County Common Pleas Court said he and other judges would look at early releases for offenders near the end of their sentences.

Dennis said in most cases, jail closures last one day. "It isn't very often that the emergency goes into a second day," he said.

The jail was under an emergency closure June 13, and admissions were limited three times last year.