Webster County

The Detention Center

Not found (existing Webster County Jail, condition and replacement plans documented but no distinct facility name found)

• Operated byWebster County Sheriff's Office
• ConditionA January 24, 2018 Justice Center Phase 2 planning document posted on the county's own site describes the existing jail as having structural problems (crumbling exterior, rotting wood, water intrusion, mold, foundation deterioration), security deficiencies, overcrowding, and ADA non-compliance
• Replacement projectThe same 2018 document describes a planned integrated Justice Center combining the Sheriff's Office, County Jail, and courtroom facility, overseen by a Citizens Jail Committee, with a potential bond election referenced as a next step; no project budget or funding source is stated in the document, and its current status as of 2026 was not established from the county's own site
• What was triedOnly the 2018 Phase 2 planning PDF and the Sheriff page were located on the county's own domain; no updated project status, budget, capacity figures, or a distinct current facility name were found

Source: Webster County — Justice Center Phase 2 Kickoff Meeting (January 24, 2018) · checked 2026-08-25

• ✗The jail is named — not published
• ✗Who is in custody — not published
• ✗Beds and daily population — not published
• ✗What it costs taxpayers — not published
• ✗Deaths in custody — not published
• ✗PREA audits — not published
• ✗Independent inspection — not published
• ✗Who else it holds, and for how much — not published
• ✗How to post bond — not published
• ✗Phone, video and commissary rates — not published

This rates disclosure, not conduct — what Webster County publishes about a jail its taxpayers own, checked 2026-08-25. Nothing here says the jail is run well or badly. Every mark moves the moment the county posts the document.

The Building

You paid for it. Here is what the record says it cost.

• Year builtNot found
• Original costNot found
• Paid for byNot found
• BedsNot found

The Sheriff

Sheriff Troy Schmitz

• How the office is filledElected countywide (Neb. Rev. Stat. 32-520 — partisan ballot, four-year term)
• Runs the jailYes — the county's own Sheriff page describes the sheriff's duties as including 'managing jail operations and prisoners'
• Office location432 N Elm Street, Red Cloud, NE 68970

Source: Webster County, Nebraska — Sheriff · checked 2026-08-25

The Judges

Nebraska uses merit selection with retention elections for every level of court, including the county court judges who set bail at first appearance. Under Nebraska Constitution Article V, section 21, the Governor fills a vacancy from a list of at least two nominees from a judicial nominating commission; if the Governor does not act within 60 days the Chief Justice appoints. An appointed judge later faces an uncontested retention vote. Trial courts are the District Court (general jurisdiction, felony trials) and the County Court (misdemeanors, small claims, probate, most first appearances and bail-setting). Judges are state judicial officers, not county officials.

Source: the state judiciary · checked 2026-08-25

The County Commissioners

They pay for the jail. The sheriff runs it.

• What they controlThe detention budget, the building itself, and the agreements that let other agencies rent its beds.
• What they don'tDay-to-day operations. The sheriff is separately elected and answers to voters, not to the board.
• The boardBoard of County Commissioners →
• Where the jail money is decidedAgendas and minutes →