Mountain State Spotlight, The Record Delta – Autumn came, followed by winter, and John Hammond remained in jail. Read the full article.
“I miss being around my wife, my kids,” the 48-year-old said in a phone call from Central Regional Jail in December. Men were arguing loudly in the background. He did his best to ignore them. “It’s the most [time] I ain’t been around my granddaughter.”
His family missed him too.
“I’m thinking he’s never going to get out,” said Tammy Hammond, his wife. “I mean, I’ve lost hope. I’ve literally lost hope.”
Central Regional Jail, located just off the Interstate 79 exit in Flatwoods, serves eight counties overall, including Nicholas County, where Hammond faced felony burglary charges for allegedly stealing a washer and dryer. But despite being in jail for four months at the time he made the phone call, Hammond hadn’t been tried for his crimes or convicted.
