Staff reports

At long last, Terrell County Sheriff John Bowens is incarcerated.

Bowens turned himself into the Dougherty County Jail this morning to serve a five-day contempt-of-charge sentence. Alapaha Judicial Circuit Judge Dane Perkins ruled that Bowens intentionally violated a judge’s order last year by not ensuring that inmates appeared in court.

Bowens appealed the sentence, saying that he didn’t have enough staff to safely transport inmates.

Dougherty County Jail officials said that Bowens turned himself in at 9 a.m. and will be incarcerated until 6 p.m. Friday. Bowens will be kept separate from the general inmate population for his safety, jail officials said.

Bowens has been under fire throughout his lengthy tenure. The Prison and Jail Project in Americus said in 2005 that at least 13 prisoners contacted the organization alleging Bowens’ threatened violence toward them. No criminal charges were filed, however.