Natchitoches Parish's sheriff has filed suit against the Police Jury, seeking reimbursement because the Police Jury says it doesn't have the money to pay him for housing prisoners who are awaiting trial.

For the past two months, Sheriff Victor Jones said, his office has only been locking up violent offenders. Those accused of non-violent crimes most likely are getting out on bond or on their own recognizance.

"We have not decreased our number of arrests; we've just decreased our number of incarcerations," Jones said today.

The Police Jury is supposed to pay the sheriff $15.50 a day for each inmate who's waiting to go on trial. The state pays for those convicted of a felony if they remain in the parish jail.

But the Police Jury isn't paying, saying they don't have the money. The sheriff is absorbing the costs.

"i just can't house them for free. I have bills and obligations I have to meet," Jones said about the lawsuit.

The parish asked for a quarter-cent sales tax this summer to pay for jail costs. Voters said no.

Natchitoches District Attorney Van Kyzar, who is the Police Jury's lawyer, said revenue coming in to the parish isn't keeping up with its growth.

"Several years at best, they've been holding on by a thread," Kyzar said.

Kyzar will meet with the sheriff and his attorney next week to discuss options to settle the issue.

The parish has not seen any money from the Haynesville Shale. But it's got a lot of land on highway rights of way and a landfill, so Natchitoches is getting ready to bid that out to energy exploration companies. That could put millions into the parish treasury.

Kyzar said using windfall money for continuing expenses is a temporary fix, so they're looking for something long term.