ATHENS, GA — Athens-Clarke County Sheriff John Williams is addressing the public in a press conference on Monday following a series of inmate deaths at the county jail recently.

Authorities say three inmates have died so far this year, with several others hospitalized, prompting growing concern about safety and oversight at the facility.

One of the inmates who died at the jail last week was 31-years-old, authorities say. The same day, two others were being treated for possible drug overdoses.

“We do have a member on the regional drug task force,” Sheriff Williams said. “As we increase our staffing, we hope to increase those numbers and have even more support in getting drugs off of the streets and out of our communities and of course preventing it from entering the jail.”

Sheriff Williams says he will provide updates on the ongoing investigations into the deaths and outline steps being taken to improve conditions and prevent further incidents.

This is a developing story.