Associated Press
WACO, TX — Inmates at one Central Texas jail will no longer have access to microwave ovens.
They were removed Monday from the McLennan County Jail.
County commissioners last summer refused to allot $85,000 for upgrading the jail’s wiring after microwaves overloaded the electrical system.
Sheriff Parnell McNamara says the 47 microwaves posed a safety risk because some inmates have thrown hot liquids on others.
McNamara also says they were an unwarranted luxury for those accused of violating the law.
The microwaves were bought with proceeds from the jail’s commissary fund -- not with taxpayer dollars. Each was shared by two dozen inmates and used under jailer supervision.
The microwaves were removed Monday. A handful will remain at the jail for trustee inmates, who do laundry, cleaning and cooking.