Who gets out of the Lane Co. Jail?

The Lane County Jail is down to just 93 beds for local offenders. That means many of those arrested aren't being held before trial, and convicts are having their sentences cut short.

So just who doesn't the jail have room for? At a recent Lane County budget meeting, Sheriff Russ Burger laid out a tough scenario.

"I'm going to go through the cases of each of these five defendants and I'm going to ask you which one we're going to release into the community," he said.

One was charged with a home invasion and a stabbing. Another held a gun to a robbery victim's head. The third was accused of assault after strangling and beating the victim.

"He released her neck just before she passed out then started throwing items at her, grabbed her again and started throwing her around," Burger said.

The fourth violated a restraining order multiple times and threatened to kill his wife. The last had two prior rape convictions.

So which one is it?

"Under the no renewal budget, the sad news is that likely all of them get released into our community," Burger said. "Because there's a lot worse people that we're holding in our custody."

Officials say alleged murderers like Joshua Wolgamott take up 10 of the 93 beds. The rest are generally used for those accused of major crimes like assault and sexual abuse. That means almost everyone else is released, even if they're considered high-risk.

"We have such a small percentage of the minimum capacity necessary that we are always releasing dangerous people," said Alex Gardner with the district attorney's office.

In just one recent 24 hour span, 18 alleged or even convicted criminals were put back on the streets. Some of the charges against them include criminal trespass, burglary and carrying a concealed weapon. Many had previously failed to appear but were still let go, with no guarantee they'll return for trial.

But none compare to Ronald Casebeer. He had been convicted of two murders when he was arrested after a burglary attempt in 2005. Despite those priors, he was released from the overcrowded jail. He then promptly hatched a plot to kill a district attorney.

At least with Casebeer, the story has a resolution. On Thursday, he was sentenced to 40 years in prison. But officials say they worry releasing so many violent criminals won't end well.