Porter County Sheriff's Department

By Coty Miranda Garbison

Post Tribune Correspondent

The Myrick B. Crampton Security Center, better known as the Porter County Jail, is being readied for the auction block.

Emptied of its 230 men and women prisoners Sunday -who now occupy the new  $37 million, 454-bed Porter County Jail on south Highway 49, the downtown  four-story facility with full basement will be auctioned off to the highest  bidder Wednesday, Nov. 20 at 1 p.m.

Though there is no minimum bid, the Chicago-based Sheldon Good and Company Auctioneers have established a 'suggested' bid of $25,000. Bidders must bring along a certified check in that amount the day of the auction to be considered "serious bidders".

Preparing for the auction, and the three inspection days to be held prior, four orange-uniformed inmates were transported back to their former abode late Monday morning to help spiffy up the place.

Although they hauled out enough garbage to overflow two dumpsters, and spent hours pulling and carrying hundreds of torn, smelly vinyl mattresses to the jail's first level, there's still plenty to do before the interested bidders' viewing on Wednesday, Oct. 23, Tuesday, Oct. 29 and Wednesday, Nov. 6.

Even the advance viewings require an appointment with the Chicago-based Sheldon Good and Company who have helped unload much larger projects including the Trump Plaza in Palm Beach.

Sheriff David Reynolds and Sgt. Mike Krawczyk were at the old jail by 10 a.m., inspecting the condition of each cellblock on every floor. "It's not as bad as I expected," said Reynolds, ignoring the prevalent  urine odor as he walked through individual cells on the fourth floor.

"This is the place where we had some discipline problems the last few days," he said, skirting a wet area on the peeling gunmetal gray painted floor that snaked from a toilet surrounded by soggy toilet paper. "Some of the inmates were flooding their cells."

The badly overcrowded jail that held often found more than 100 prisoners sleeping on mattresses on the cellblock hallways is eerily empty now, said the Sheriff as he made his rounds. Except for the holding cells, the majority of the jail is remarkably clean. The remnants of various paint jobs done in the past 31 years are visible on the peeling walls and metal jail bars: yellow, maroon, green and a dark pink the Sheriff said he prefers to call mauve.

The walls also bear the artwork of the hundreds of its most recent inhabitants. Besides the usual hearts, crosses, cartoon characters and hate/love graffiti are finely drawn portraits of Jesus and unknown loved ones. Cell number 479 included a pen rendition of a full-size refrigerator - its door open to reveal shelves chock-full of Kool-aid, condiments and beer. Drawn on the opposite wall was a full-size stove. "Imagine being in here a year," mused the Sheriff looking over the  imaginary kitchen.

It's expected the jail cleaning could take up to two weeks said Sgt. Krawczyk. "But we'll have it done with time to spare," he said.

National interest in the auction of the downtown jail has been surprisingly strong, whetted, in part by the nationwide advertising placed by the auction company in periodicals and newspapers like the Wall Street Journal.

"We've been receiving calls from the east coast to the west coast, and from people with a strong interest," said Commissioner Larry Sheets, D-Center Township, adding the calls are referred on to the Chicago company. "I'm really surprised at the interest. I just hope it bears fruit."

Sheriff Reynolds said he is aware a federal prison has expressed interest in the jail. "It would house special need prisoners, possibly some with medical problems," he said, admitting that news was received "second-hand."