Wood Co. jail administrator suspended after inmate escape - WAOW - Newsline 9, Wausau News, Weather, Sports

Wood County's jail administrator has been suspended after an inmate escaped last week.

According to Sheriff Thomas Reichert, Andrew Netz has been suspended for 30 days without pay.       

This comes after Allan Koskela, 42, escaped from jail Friday afternoon. Reichert said Koskela was painting in a work-release section of the jail when he escaped through a door that was open for ventilation. Koskela then climbed a wall and got away, Reichert said.

Koskela was found and arrested in Wisconsin Rapids Saturday afternoon.

Sheriff Reichert says the jail's policies are sound, but in this case, they weren't followed.

"The reason that this escape happened is attributed solely to human error, and the responsibility for that error rests on our jail administrator," said Reichert.

Now, Netz has been suspended without pay. The suspension was effective Saturday, September 1.

"I think that he certainly exercised bad judgment in allowing the door to the jail to be open," said Reichert. He added that Netz, who has worked at the jail for around 5 years, will retain his position as jail administrator when he returns from his suspension.

Reichert said no one else was involved or disciplined.

Meantime, Allan Koskela appeared in court Tuesday. He's now charged with a felony for escape and a misdemeanor for resisting an officer. He could face thousands of dollars in fines and several years in prison.

Koskela's next court date is September 13.

Newsline 9 was unable to contact Netz for comment.