Amid a crowd of over 500, the official grand opening of the Cecil Nobles Public Safety Complex was held on a steamy July 12, 2024. The 10 a.m. Friday event was long awaited, and the new jail for Long County, located next to the Long County Courthouse in Ludowici at 465 S. McDonald Street, will be able to house up to 110 inmates.
Long County Sheriff Craig Nobles, son of the late former Sheriff Cecil Nobles and for whom the complex is named, gave tribute to his father and his mother, Peggy DeLoach Nobles, for their dedication to Long County law enforcement and to the community.
"It has been over 50 years since we had a jail in Long County, when the former one at the top of the Courthouse was set on fire by inmates in the early 1970s," said Craig.
He added that he was grateful for the 18 plus counties that have helped Long County in past years in the housing of inmates, mainly Tattnall, McIntosh, Wayne, and Appling.
"At the age of 25, my dad was elected coroner of Long County, so the citizens saw his potential at that young age. He was 32 when he was first elected Sheriff of Long County, and he didn't get there by himself," said Craig in acknowledgement of the community support.
"It was a pivotal time in our country. It was during the Vietnam War and local families had sons serving in Vietnam. When there was a family emergency, my dad saw that these soldiers came home to the family," said Craig.
"He taught one of the first integrated classes in Long County and spent ten years as a teacher before being elected sheriff," said Craig.
"Corruption was rampant at the time, and Cecil helped clean up much of this and some of you here today recall these trying times," he said, commenting that the family mailbox was destroyed by cherry bombs several times and their home shot as well.
"My dad did not let people intimidate him. He had a calm demeanor and was patient and understanding. He believed in 'killing them with kindness', as he told me," said Craig.
"When it came to the treatment of inmates, my dad said that you need to treat them the way you would want to be treated," he added.
Craig gave accolades to his mother, Peggy, as well, who stood by Cecil, often as a sounding board and adviser for her husband.
"She was his under-Sheriff and was the operator of the 911 service out of our home," said Craig, often having to ask one of the seven parties on their phone line to allow her to use the phone for someone to find Cecil. When he left our house or the office, he wrote the places he would be visiting so that she would be able to find him most quickly if he was needed.
While Cecil Nobles served as Long County Sheriff from January 1, 1969, until January 9, 2012, Peggy was the Sheriff's Office Administrator from January 1, 1977, to September 30, 2015, the latter years under their son, Craig, as Sheriff.
"She was a great wife, mom, and under-sheriff, and a true Southern lady," said Craig, and those who knew her remembered her calming manner, efficiency, and a regalness about her while still putting others at ease.
The morning event last Friday featured several speakers who knew Cecil quite well and paid tribute to him in various aspects.
Long County Commission Chairman Robert D. Parker opened the dedication ceremony with a welcome and the recalling of a "legacy of someone who started this fight (for a jail), and we are finishing it today."
Parker stated his law enforcement career began over 20 years ago as a city police officer, and then as a deputy, which Cecil Nobles told him he would do despite Parker saying he was fine in his present position.
He spoke of Cecil's positive influences in his life, noting he was a good Christian man, humble, and, if anything, was simply too good to people.
"Cecil believed justice is what is in your heart and the law is on the books, and a good sheriff is somewhere in between," said Parker.
John Edwards, author and retired Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) Agent, commented that he had served under different generations of Long County Sheriffs and had fond memories of dinner on the ground at the Courthouse, complete with fried chicken, held after a Grand Jury session.
"The difference I saw in Cecil Nobles was that he genuinely cared about his community in his heart. He cared for the people and never lost sight that he served the people," said Edwards.
"At the time of his death at age 76 in 2012, Cecil was the longest serving sheriff in the state of Georgia, serving 44 years and was elected 11 times. His wife, Peggy, was his rock, and she was his adviser and the love of his life. They worked together as a team," said Edwards.
"In their heart, they were doing the Lord's work in the right way, in the way it should be done," he added.
"Cecil worked within the spirit of the law over the letter of the law. He understood his constitutional role of Sheriff, and Peggy was his buffer. The key to Cecil was that he was a master of empathy, slow to judge, and he demonstrated care and understanding," said Edwards.
"Cecil incorporated to love the Lord, love your neighbor, and the Golden Rule," said Edwards, with a special love, too, for the couple's three sons: Craig, Kenny, and Jimmy.
Another speaker, Ludowici Mayor Jim Fuller, stated that Cecil had given the community stability and he had a vision for the jail that had come to fruition on this day.
The Rev. Eric Rentz, pastor of First Baptist Church of Blackshear, related to the crowd that when he moved into Long County many years ago, he was invited to a bird shoot, and one of those at the shoot was an unwelcome guest, a Department of Natural Resources game warden. He soon discovered that Rentz's hunting license had expired three days before. Even though he could not hunt that day, Rentz, thanks to Cecil, did not have to pay the fine, thanks to his "community service."
Rentz referred to trees that are a legacy to those who plant them and know that they will never be able to sit in their shade. Likewise, for this jail today, he said, aptly named in remembrance of Cecil Nobles, who believed in Long County and the goal for this facility to be built.
The Rev. Frank Jones, Sr., of Mt. Olive Baptist Church, shared a story of Cecil visiting Jones' father in his first campaign for sheriff. He remembered his father told Cecil that he was satisfied with the status quo. Cecil replied back to Frank's father that he respected his dad's honesty.
Pastor Terry Sellars of Faith Baptist Church of Ludowici recalled his memories of Cecil Nobles and that he had left an admirable legacy of ministry to the Long County community and would be proud of Craig today.
John L. Jones, deacon of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, had memories of the manual typewriter that Cecil used to type his reports/arrests. He also remembered the day Cecil was first elected.
"I am a better person today for what he typed up on me a few times on that typewriter," said John Jones.
(The manual typewriter, campaign sign, framed photo, Cecil's hat, and other memorabilia were displayed on a table as guests to the event entered the complex.)
In closing, Sheriff Craig Nobles introduced Jail Administrator Major Sam Gordon and Assistant Administrator Lt. Don Spradley and extended special thanks to his staff, the community, and others for their help in building the Cecil Nobles Public Safety Complex.
Those acknowledged included: All State Construction Group (that built the complex); American Fence Company; Comcast; Correct Solutions; Davis Heating & Air; Douglas Mechanical; Georgia Power; Hinesville Fence Company; Innovate Engineering; Johnson's Office Solutions; Long County Commissioners; Miller's Nursery and Landscaping; Pennoni Associates, Inc.; Phillips Gradick Engineering, P.C.; Speros; Studio 8 Design, LLC; Taylors Creek Construction; Windstream; and Wrap-It Signs.
About the Complex
The 40,000 square foot jail includes 35,000 feet of conduit with concrete walls reinforced with rebar.
The facility is innovative in its use of technology and efficiency, and cost effectiveness were in the design and construction, which began in December of 2022.
The complex is air conditioned with the exception of the auto bay used for inspecting of confiscated vehicles and the sally port, which is the controlled entry in which transfers/in-takes are conducted for inmates related to booking.
The new jail can house up to 110 inmates with dormitory space for 100.
A section of the jail includes a dorm unit for up to 12 female inmates, a medium dorm unit in addition to lockdown and maximum dorms. Also, a dorm for inmate workers is provided.
Will Murphy, Project Superintendent of All State Construction Group of Perry, Georgia, attended the dedication ceremony. All State, which builds jails, will next be constructing one in Colquitt in Worth County.
The $12 million cost of the jail will be paid from the Jail Fund, which is funded through criminal citations, Impact Fees, and Revenue Bonds.
(This article has been revised to attribute the correct source of funds for the jail. The Journal Sentinel regrets the error.)
