Mold Causes Problems for Arkansas Sheriff's Office

HUNTSVILLE, Ark. --

Spring flooding in Northwest Arkansas is now causing a problem for the Madison County Sheriff's Office: hazardous mold.

"The Madison County sheriff and his staff have been forced to work inside a cramped trailer since hazardous mold was found in their office," said Madison County Coordinator Lori McConnell.

In September, the sheriff discovered mold growing behind the paneled walls in his office, a building that dates back to the 1930s. Deputies were immediately moved into a small trailer while a cleanup crew tackled the problem.

The sheriff said spring rains leaked into the walls of his department, causing three types of mold to grow. McConnell said one type of mold was particularly dangerous.

Over the past four months, crews have pulled paneling and repainted each wall with a mold-resistant paint.

The sheriff said many people in the office had been sick, the captain is even in the hospital, suffering from a major cough. But the sheriff isn't sure if the illness was caused by the mold.

McConnell said things are almost back to normal inside the once mold-covered office since the building was stripped and repainted.

"We have done another test since the remediation and everything seems to be fine. They did an airborne test in the basement, and they also went upstairs and outside to get different test results. They've done that, and they have removed all the mold," McConnell said.

The sheriff's department should be able to move back into its renovated office in March.

Since the mold appears to have been caused by flooding, FEMA has paid for the cleanup.

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