Air conditioning problems reported at Pulaski County Jail

Pulaski County Jail maintenance staff worked Saturday to repair air conditioning in two of the jail's older cell blocks, a sheriff's office spokeswoman said Saturday.

Spokeswoman Kristin Knox said the air conditioning problem affected Units A and B of the prison and that officials intervened Friday to break up a dispute between inmates in Unit B over the placement of an industrial fan.

However, the incident did not lead to the inmates of the unit being locked up and no disciplinary action was taken, Knox said.

Knox did not know when the problems with the air conditioning systems began, but she said the temperature in the cell blocks was still below 30 degrees Saturday afternoon, within the standards set by the state for correctional facilities. By 2 p.m. Saturday, it was about 27 degrees in Unit A and about 28 degrees in Unit B, she said.

The National Weather Service Little Rock forecast high temperatures of 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius) for Saturday in Little Rock, where the prison is located, and a heat warning was issued for much of the state in Little Rock.

Authorities have previously stated that blocks A and B of the prison are the oldest in the entire building.