MONTICELLO – The old Piatt County Jail is headed for the wrecking ball – but not before an area filmmaker shoots some scenes there.

The Piatt County Board voted 5-0 Tuesday to seek bids to demolish the old jail building, which was built shortly after the Civil War in 1868. It was the second-oldest jail building still holding prisoners in Illinois until May, when the county moved its inmates to a new $7.8 million jail facility on the south side of town.

Sheriff Robert Manint said the old jail was originally built as a house.

"In those days, the sheriff and his family actually lived in the building that they used for a jail," Manint said.

While the county board originally considered keeping the 19th century jail for historical reasons, concerns over liability led the board to opt to demolish it instead.

County board member Sharon Lee Martin said she didn't have an estimate of what the demolition work will cost.

"That's why we are seeking bids," Martin said. "When the bids come in, we'll know how much it will cost."

Martin said the county's public building commission, which approved bonds for the jail project, will pay for the demolition work.

Martin said she wasn't sure when the demolition will take place.

"We want that building torn down as soon as possible," she said.

While the jail may soon become a memory, portions may become immortalized in an upcoming film.

The county board voted 5-0 Tuesday to grant permission to filmmaker Robin Peters to shoot some scenes in the counter area of the old jail.

According to the motion, Peters will only be allowed to film in the old jail if he accepts liability for any accidents that might happen there.

Peters, of Dreamscape Cinema, a division of Dreamscape Design of Champaign, said he will be filming a dramatic thriller called "Disconnect" within the next three weeks.

Peters also filmed "Crab Orchard" in East Central Illinois in 2003.

He said an assistant director will be scouting the jail later this week to see if it will work in the film.

"We aren't 100 percent sure whether we will be shooting in the jail or not until we see it," Peters said. "We don't need the jail as much as we need the sheriff's office. We have a scene that takes place in a sheriff's office, so we thought the old jail might be appropriate for it."

Peters said "Disconnect" will star Holmes Osborne from "That Thing You Do," Eddie Jones from "Seabiscuit" and Tami Erin from "The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking."

Peters said the film is expected to be released in 2005.

You can reach Tim Mitchell at (217) 351-5366 or via e-mail at tmitchel@news-gazette.com.