CHRISTIAN COUNTY, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – The Christian County Fiscal Court approved an Interlocal Agreement between the Christian County and Graves County Jail, which allows their inmates to be housed in Hopkinsville. This decision comes after the Graves County facility in Mayfield was hit by a tornado in December of 2021 and has been unable to rebuild.

“This is a result of several months of negotiating with Graves County on this,” said Jailer Adam Smith during the July 8 fiscal court meeting. “They lost their jail in the tornado, and they had inmates scattered all over western Kentucky, so they wanted to be able to get all their inmates in one location. So, we were able to assist them in that, and it helps us along the way too with our finances.”

Magistrates further explained that this agreement came after extensive conversations and collaborating with Graves County. To best accommodate inmates while they attempt to allocate funds to rebuild, the agreement will last as long as is necessary.

On July 27, the Graves County Fiscal Court issued an update saying, “In March 2025, the Graves County Fiscal Court issued a press release stating in part that the funding for a new jail was not guaranteed and we would look for other long-term options regarding our inmate population. While considering options, the security of inmates, safety of jail staff, and fiscal responsibility to the taxpayers remain paramount when making any decision. With the help of Jailer Kelli Elliott and her staff, we have entered into an agreement with Jailer Adam Smith and the Christian County Jail.”

Graves County also detailed that new arrests will be taken to McCracken County Detention Center and will then be picked up by Christian County Jail staff daily while court appearances and medical appointments will also be handled by Christian County Jail staff. They currently have an online petition intended for the chair of the appropriation committee Jason Petrie and all the appropriations committee members, so they can see the support they have garnered to rebuild the Graves County Jail.

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