Courtesy

Looks like no demons were driven from the Lincoln County Jail after all. In spite of the rumors circulating around Lincoln County, there is no evidence that an exorcism took place at the Lincoln County Jail, according to Chief Lincoln County Deputy Dean Sparks.

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Sparks and Lincoln County Sheriff Jerome Kramer said they too heard the rumors of an exorcism performed at the jail Sept. 25, and investigated the matter.

Kramer said Jail Supervisor Dave Williams conducted the investigation along with Sparks and interviewed and got written reports from the jailers on duty that night.

According Sparks, an inmate requested to meet with a pastor and that pastor made arrangements with another clergyman to visit the jail after arriving at the jail that same night.

Sparks said the inmate, who he would not name, and the pastors, also anonymous, met in the recreation room in the jail for about an hour.

Sparks said the first clergyman was checked into the jail at 7:31 p.m. on Sept. 25. The second clergyman was checked into the jail at 8:49 p.m. After slightly more than an hour meeting with the inmate, both pastors had checked out of the jail at 9:58 p.m.

Sparks said he could not say what transpired during the hour-long meeting but that jailers viewed the incident through security cameras. He said there is no audio feed so jailers don’t know what was said.

Rumors circulated that the pastors performed an exorcism on the inmate during the meeting but Sparks said that after the investigation, there was no evidence that anything out of the ordinary occurred.

Sparks said a pastor visiting an inmate is routine and that no administrators were contacted when a second clergyman was called to join the men.

Kramer said the jail provides pastoral counseling and Sunday services along with other services like Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

“We offer access to pastoral care and a normal ministry when inmates request it,” Kramer said. But he said jail policy on visiting ministers would be reviewed.

Sparks said that if a priest or other minister suggested an inmate needed an exorcism, administrators would consult with them about it.

Both Kramer and Sparks agreed that an event like that would require advanced planning and would not take place on a moment’s notice.