An Ohio sheriff has released 72 inmates because of budget cuts he says are restricting his ability to safely run his jail.
The move by Summit County Sheriff Steve Barry in Akron on Sunday reduces the county jail's overall capacity by 149 beds, from 671 to 522.
The Akron Beacon Journal reports that Barry, who began his sheriff's office career in 1979, could not recall a similar release in the past.
Barry says the jail received about 50 new inmates over the last two days, complicating Sunday's release.
Cuts in state funding for local municipalities have squeezed the sheriff's budget, along with voters' November rejection of a county sales tax increase that would have generated about $20 million a year for 10 years.
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