A recent lawsuit filed by Maries County Sheriff Chris Heitman over inmates' failure to pay for medical expenses has brought to light a growing expense facing area sheriff's departments.
Whether or not other sheriffs will follow Heitman's lead remains to be seen. But with budgets growing tighter, area sheriffs say they will be making sure those incarcerated pay their share of medical expenses.
Sheriffs point to two state statutes, which they say show prisoners do have responsibility for paying for their medical care.