Sheriff's deputies lock down Fulton jail

The Fulton County Jail was locked down for several hours Saturday afternoon after a staff member reported he believed he saw a gun in an inmate area, a sheriff's department spokesperson said.

No firearms were found "at the conclusion of an extensive search," spokesperson Tracy Flanagan said in a news release. Media reports said the search occurred on the maximum-security seventh floor of the jail, where one inmate was shot by another recently.

A homemade shank, or crude knife, was found in the search. Late Saturday afternoon, the jail returned to normal operations, she said.

"This shakedown did result in the discovery of some contraband including a shank, which is defined as a homemade weapon," she said.

During the lockdown, civilian staff members were evacuated. No one was injured, and no employees, inmates or visitors "were in danger at any time," she said.

The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office received assistance from the Atlanta Police Department and the Atlanta Department of Corrections.  

WSB-TV reported on its website that the shank had been found wrapped in a uniform at the jail. A guard thought he'd seen an inmate with a gun, the TV station said.

The scare came about a month after an inmate was shot inside by another inmate, according to the TV station's report.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said that FBI agents earlier this month arrested a sheriff's deputy and three detention officers following a nearly yearlong sting involving sheriff's office employees facilitating the transfer of contraband into the jail.