The longstanding feud between Beaufort County Commissioner Hood Richardson and Beaufort County Sheriff Alan Jordan added another incident Sept. 6 when Richardson was removed from the county’s jail during an inspection of the facility by commissioners and others.

As a result of that incident, according to Richardson, the Beaufort County Board of Commissioners directed the county attorney to write a letter directing Jordan to allow commissioners access to the jail. Asked if that were the case, County Manager Randell Woodruff said he could not comment on what happened in the closed session.

During the board’s Sept. 9 meeting, the board indicated it went into closed sessions to discuss personnel matters and to protect its attorney-client privilege. No actions were taken after the board emerged from those closed sessions.

“We took it up in closed session — but it’s become public information — and asked the county attorney to look into this insofar as county commissioners being blocked by other officials in doing our appointed duties. I was doing my legal responsibility. Some legal professionals have said that under the circumstance I probably had more right than the sheriff simply because it’s up to the commissioners to spend the money to make the jail safe,” Richardson said Thursday.

“I have not seen the letter. I understood I was supposed to get a copy of it when it was written,” Richardson said. “They’re probably going to be slow in writing it, and Billy Mayo, of course, is still the county attorney, and he was the one that was in charge of that.”

Richardson believes Jordan overstepped his authority by having a commissioner carrying out his responsibility as an elected official removed from the jail

On Wednesday, Jordan said he has received no such letter, as of then. Jordan said if he receives such a letter, he likely would make it public.

“I want to see it first, but I can’t, right now, think of any reason why I wouldn’t. … If I get that letter, I’ll take a look at it. I really can’t think of any reason I wouldn’t give that over to you,” Jordan told the Washington Daily News.

“I haven’t denied any county commissioner, with the exception of Mr. Richardson, an opportunity to visit down there,” Jordan said. “They’re welcome. I will set up tours for the public as our workload and security issues allow. I want people to be able to go down there.”

Jordan acknowledges he and Richardson disagree on several jail-related issues.

“The last time I allowed him in the jail, he didn’t act in an appropriate manner, caused problems,” Jordan said. “ I told the county manager I just wasn’t going to allow that.”

Among others making the inspection Sept. 6 were Woodruff, county Public Works Director Christina Smith, Commissioner Robert Belcher, Chief Deputy Kit Campbell, chief jailer Capt. Katrina Ross and three other deputies.

The inspection was being conducted to determine if the jail met conditions to reopen after being closed for about three months for repairs. The conditions were set down by Superior Court Judge Wayland Sermons, who earlier this summer ordered the jail closed until it was repaired and outfitted with any needed equipment so it could safely house prisoners.

The jail reopened Sept. 13.