The Autauga County sheriff did not allow experts to complete tests for mold at the county jail before he evacuated the lockup earlier this month without telling county officials in an “unnecessary” move, the Autauga County Commission said Tuesday.

A company was contracted by the commission to conduct mold tests at the county jail June 5 but was not allowed access by Sheriff Mark Harrell due to “staffing issues,” the commission said. When the company was scheduled to return to the jail the next day, Harrell announced he was evacuating the lockup “due to health and safety issues.”

On Tuesday, the commission said the company’s testing revealed “high concentrations” of Cladosporium, a mold species characterized by the National Institutes of Health as one of the most common types of mold in the world.

The reports from the company and another expert contracted by Harrell indicated that black mold was present in an isolated, unfinished area of the jail that is unoccupied by inmates or staff. The mold was also not growing or spreading.

The commission said the mold situation did not warrant the evacuation of the jail.

“Based on the reports of the experts, the decision made by the Sheriff to evacuate the inmates, without informing even one Commissioner or the County Administrator, so there could be a discussion or even assistance in planning, has now been determined to have been unnecessary,” the commission said in a statement issued after its Tuesday meeting.

Efforts to reach the sheriff’s office by AL.com were not immediately successful.

The commission said the evacuation “has in turn caused an undue financial burden on the taxpayers of Autauga County” but did not say how much the move cost.

“Anytime a decision is made to move inmates from one facility to another, the inmate and the law enforcement officer conducting the transport are put at a higher risk of harm,” the commission continued. “Although we are disheartened by these events, we will continue to make sure that all projects move forward as planned to ensure the health and safety of all citizens and staff.”

At Tuesday’s commission meeting, the body sought a quote from a contractor for the cost of remediation and cleaning.

The body said it hopes to begin the project “as soon as possible, hopefully as quickly as this coming week.”