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| Facility Uses eBay to Auction Old Jail |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 12/05/2005 |
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Add Missouri's old Randolph County Jail to the hidden treasures and useless oddities available for purchase from the online auction site eBay. Taking a cue from their counterparts in neighboring Howard County, who sold their old jail to a California businessman, Randolph County's elected leaders are preparing to sell the historic building to the highest bidder. "After Howard County sold their jail, we were kind of jealous," said Jim Myles, a Randolph County commissioner. "We wished we had been first." Howard County's 5,500-square foot jail, circa 1889, sold for $42,000 to Los Angeles lawyer Gary Kaplan, who plans to renovate it as a country getaway. Randolph County plans to start the bidding for its 95-year-old jail at $32,500, said Myles, with the auction to start next week. If the two-story structure on Main Street resembles a quaint home more than a secure lockdown, there's good reason. Until 1989, the jail doubled as home to the county sheriff and his family, with a separate living quarters including a full kitchen and fireplace. The sheriff's wife even cooked meals for prisoners. A decade later, though, the jail inherited a more sinister distinction after two jailers were killed during a botched escape attempt. Lax security and deteriorating conditions helped spur county voters in 2002 to approve a local sales tax increase to build a new jail, which opened earlier this year. Myles said county officials hope the Internet-based sale will attract an investor who sees opportunities, not limitations. The prospect of bidding for property in a remote location, sight unseen, might scare some traditional homeowners, but Randolph County's isn't the only piece of real estate up for bid online. Nearly 100 properties were listed on eBay on Monday afternoon, ranging in cost from a measly dollar for 2.82 acres in the northern California desert to $1.65 million for a pair of lots fronting the Gulf of Mexico in the Florida Panhandle. |
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