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Bertie isn't the only state prison with staffing problems. An officer at the gate house said Wall was upset and had a gun visible in his car, which violates prison policy. Inmate Donny Mosley, who is serving time for second-degree murder and robbery with a dangerous weapon, had slashed her face and neck with a razor-like weapon. Hodges was sentenced to two years in federal prison. February 2017 - Former officer Evangeline Hunt was charged with smuggling in drugs and other contraband for inmates. But minutes later, they are walking through a prison hallway with weapons, headed for a fight. Ortiz later told investigators his weapon was a plastic toilet bowl cleaner with a sharpened end. Phillip Boney, a former Lanesboro officer, told the Observer that right after the fight, he saw Wall put a shank inside an unlocked wooden podium near the cell block. Accessed March 29, 2018. In January, police and prosecutors teamed up with the prisons new administrator, John Herring, to begin criminally charging inmates caught with weapons. Then they returned to D pod, the unit where they lived. Where, she wondered, were the shanks used to attack Cook and Turner? All charges in the indictment are allegations. Leandro Lo, a legendary jiu-jitsu fighter, was killed in Brazil, according to MMA Junkie.He was 33 years old. Lanesboro Correctional Institution is a 1,000 cell, high security prison facility located adjacent to Brown Creek Correctional Institution and Anson Correctional Center in Polkton, NC. [15] The surviving gang members joined forces with other prisoners to provide protection against the police. The current capacity of Lanesboro Correctional Institution is 1,400 adult male inmates. WINDSOR, NC (Ames Alexander and Gavin Off/The Charlotte Observer) - Bertie Correctional Institution was understaffed the month that Sgt. in Criminal Justice, The Panopticon: The Controversy Over an 18th Century Prison Concept Thats Still in Use Today, Quick Work by Tennessee Correctional Officers Foils Escape Plan, California Correctional Officers Honored for Saving Lives While Off-Duty, Florida Corrections Officer Taken Hostage Found Unharmed, Correctional Center in Nome, Alaska Offers Job Training Workshops to Help Inmates Re-enter Society. A prison officer and two inmates were injured during a fight at Lanesboro Correctional Institution Thursday morning, state prison officials said. Most (of the prisons officers) are good, hard-working folks, said Underwood, the SBI supervisor. According to Bridges, Wall told authorities he kept the shanks in his office because he was planning to put them in a display that would be used to train other officers. The inmate was identified as 35-year-old Wesley Turner in a news release from N.C . Asheville:(828) 271-4661. News anchor Fred Shropshire is leaving Charlotte station WCNC. One of Brazil's most notorious gangs, the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC), is said to have formed in 1993 as a response to the event. But by that time, the officer was already bleeding profusely. Next is Joel Sour Ortiz, who is in prison for armed robbery and shooting a motorist in the head during a road-rage attack on Raleighs beltline. Zelaya-Sorto and Ortiz pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon. Acree said thetwo correctional officersassaulted with a broom handlewere treated by prison medical staff. But while North Carolina typically hires about 1,800 to 2,000 prison officers per year, it usually loses about that many as well. Wynn alleges that Parsons was willfully and deliberately indifferent to his safety, in violation of his Constitutional right to protection from cruel and unusual punishment. Cook is a leader of the Folk Nation, a rival gang, and he has heard rumors of escalating gang tensions. His name has not been released. Moments earlier, the video shows former prison sergeant Jonathan Peguese making the identical gesture toward the office where one of the other suspects was held, the lawyers said. Bridges said she doesnt buy that explanation. An investigation by The Charlotte Observer, NC woman who beat 1 in 3.35 million odds shows up to claim her lottery jackpot, Mail carrier cant believe his eyes after seeing NC lottery win. In a statement to the Observer, N.C. Secretary of Public Safety Frank Perry wrote: Management changes have been made at Lanesboro, but many other initiatives are in the works that include increasing staff, providing additional staff training and partnering with outside law enforcement and investigative agencies.. A correctional officer in the state of North Carolina was recently murdered, just one month before his wedding. Subsequent searches found numerous cellphones, improvised weapons and marijuana. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Lanesboro Correctional Institution houses about 1,800 inmates in close, medium and minimum custody. Later that afternoon, Wall arrived at the Lanesboro parking lot, according to a prison document. But after investigating for more than a year, the SBI closed the case. The vigil and pleas for justice led to several trials for the officers involved in the massacre that same year. A lock ( September 29, 2016 / 6:08 PM Its the few who dont who make problems for everybody.. Relatives of those killed and human rights activists have both demanded and appealed for justice. English said he had gathered evidence about another prison sergeant who worked for Wall and who he suspected was bringing drugs into the prison. Wesley Turnerwas stabbed to death and taken to Anson Community Hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to the N.C. Department of Public Safety. On the morning of Sept. 28, 2012, the day that Turner was stabbed to death, there were rumors of potential violence. In my opinion, it didnt seem logical to hide them in the ceiling, she said. Bridges, 46, a North Carolina State graduate and former Concord police officer, was familiar with Lanesboro. The facility was a detention center, not a penitentiary, meaning that the inmates had not yet been tried or convicted. The North Carolina . But only one shank was recovered. That works out to about one officer for every 29 inmates. April 2011 - Richard Neely, a former top administrator at Lanesboro, was charged with felony obstruction of justice following allegations that he destroyed video footage that might have shown officers using excessive force in a fight with inmates. (Parsons) told me I couldnt say anything about another sergeant bringing in marijuana, Wilburn testified. Soon afterward, he contacted a Lanesboro employee, asking her to retrieve the contraband from the ceiling of his old office, his dismissal letter states. According to Acree, the prison is temporarily locked down while an investigation begins. In Lanesboro, as in many other prisons, gangs often battle for control over drugs and cellphones a lucrative trade for both inmates and corrupt officers. Your morale goes down," she said. The massacre, which left 111 prisoners dead, is considered by many people to be a major human rights violation. Finding people who are willing to work as prison officers isn't easy. The slain officer, Bias Easley, worked at the Lanesboro Correctional Institute, which is located near Wadesboro. A typical day working at Lanesboro Correctional Institute was a stressful and dangerous job. Lock Bridges also questioned why Wall met with two gang members minutes before they attacked Cook. Updated: 4:34 PM EST November 9, 2012. Seconds later, another prisoner follows. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. One of those shanks was stained, possibly from blood, Bridges said. The Anson County Sheriff's Office says one inmate is dead and another was stabbed. Inmate Craig Wissink, who has been serving a life sentence for murder since 2004, has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with Callahan's death. At Polk Correctional Institution, north of Durham, two or three officers are routinely put in charge of monitoring more than 200 inmates in the chow hall, said Sierra Gravitte, an officer who this month resigned from the prison after four years on the job. ANSON COUNTY, NC (WBTV) - Three inmates from the Lanesboro Correctional Institute in Polkton have been indicted by an Anson County Grand Jury for the September 28, 2012 murder of a fellow inmate, and an assault on a second inmate. - A federal grand jury sitting in Charlotte has indicted Erice Lemond Blyther, 46, of Hoffman, N.C., for smuggling a controlled substance at Lanesboro Correctional Institution while employed as a correctional officer. October 04, 1992. He had 43. Why would you keep them there, with the risk of them getting into the hands of an inmate? she asked. The state has recently made offers to about 400 officer candidates, so the vacancy rate will likely drop, Guice said. Polkton is 45 miles southeast of Charlotte. There are no national standards for minimum staffing at prisons, experts say. He stretches his arms high. In 2012, an inmate filed a federal lawsuit alleging that Lanesboro corrections officers cracked his skull with a baton and then destroyed a surveillance video that showed the assault. [3] Around 2:15 P.M., the prison director, Dr Jos Ismael Pedrosa, informed the local military police Polcia Militar do Estado de So Paulo about the uprising. The first inmates arrived in January 2004. In his testimony Tuesday, Wall said he had at one time kept the shanks in a safe in Parsons office but later moved them to his own office. Lanesboro Correctional Institution Lanesboro Correctional Institution is located in Polkton North Carolina. Ten months later, significant amounts of contraband including video recordings and three bloody shanks were found in the ceiling above Walls office, according to his dismissal letter. Wall had been assigned to another prison while the Turner investigation was underway. Furthermore, gunshot wounds were mainly found in the face, head, throat and chest. Two other inmates involved in the gang-related fight that day Julio Alberto Zelaya-Sorto and Joel Corto Ortiz also pleaded guilty to felonies and had up to four and five years, respectively, added to their prison sentences. But SBI agent Audria Bridges, who led the investigation, said she was troubled to learn that inmates at the prison roamed freely in areas they should not have been in.. October 2016 - Former correctional officer Scarlette Hodges pleaded guilty to smuggling drugs, tobacco and other contraband to at least one inmate. One inmate warned Lanesboro prison officials that Latino gang members were armed with homemade knives and planning an attack. All three belonged to gangs. Once in a lifetime, Murdaugh verdict sends a Lowcountry message: No one is above the law | Opinion, Charlotte Waffle House found with live roach, unclean equipment during health inspection, The top-ranked pie in North Carolina doesnt look like pie at all. Authorities say prison Sgt. Meggan Callahan was beaten to death, Medical Marijuana bill passes NC Senate; some cannabis supporters against bill, 8-year-old helps raise money for favorite Waffle House worker in need of car, PLAN AHEAD: Latest Weather Forecast Video. Please enter valid email address to continue. [11] On 16 February 2006, a Brazilian court voided Guimares' conviction because of mistrial claims; the court accepted his argument that he was only "following orders". Then Wall said, They have nothing to worry about because if I wanted to get anyone, I could get them touched from the outside, the letter states. 227 West Trade St. Hes a rookie at Lanesboro who is new to that job, still learning who to let in and who to keep out. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. In 2014, we reported that an inmate stabbed a prison administrator as he walked through the prison recreation yard. Editors note: This story is based on interviews with dozens of sources including inmates, investigators, lawyers and 19 current and former prison employees as well as court files, correspondence, criminal records and state prison documents. He said hes haunted by Turners murder and has branded the letters of his best friends nickname into his right side. Angela Smith, who worked as an officer at Tabor Correctional Institution from 2010 to 2014, said she was often asked to work overtime because the prison was so understaffed. Roberts and Jeremy Smith, the state-appointed lawyers who represented Vazquez, said they watched prison surveillance video taken on the day Turner was killed and learned the following: Around lunchtime on Sept. 28, 2012, Ortiz and Zelaya-Sorto, along with one or two inmates who were members of a gang called the United Blood Nation, were in an administrative office with Wall and an assistant unit manager. ", NC prison was understaffed when Sgt. Bridges and a prison captain searched the ceiling and found videos of prison fights, nine rods, a long metal shank and three bloody shanks. Officials say the men used a homemade shank as a weapon. At Bertie, Callahan was responding to a fire set inside a trash can on the evening of April 26 when an inmate beat her to death with the fire extinguisher she'd brought to douse the flames, state officials say. September 2016 - Inmates stabbed a sergeant and a lieutenant at the prison, and hit two other officers with a broom handle. And we don't have enough staff to fight back.". Strong of the FBIs Charlotte Field Office, joins U.S. Attorney Murray in making the announcement. Its also unclear where Zelays-Sorto and Ortiz go immediately after the meeting breaks up. Officers and staff have orchestrated illegal smuggling operations, beaten shackled inmates and engaged in sex with prisoners. Cook said he met him in 2001, when Turner came to his aid in a fight against correctional officers. Prison officials refused to allow reporters to interview Cook in prison, citing mental health concerns and a policy that does not allow media interviews with inmates in solitary confinement. He died helping me, Cook wrote in a letter to the Observer. [24] Consequently, the prosecutor is initiating an appeal and the process remains ongoing. "And this time it came up snake eyes," he said. Prosecutors later dismissed the charge because of problems with the credibility of witnesses. By Ames Alexander, Gavin Off and Elizabeth Leland. The incident was reported around 1:30 p.m. at the Lanesboro Correctional Institution in Polkton. Peguese resigned from the system in May 2013, while he was under investigation, said Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Pamela Walker. Turner was scheduled to get out of prison this year, too. Prison officials considered that a clear threat to staff. ANSON COUNTY, N.C. One inmate is dead after an incident at Lanesboro Correctional Center in Anson County. He pleads with two other inmates to lend him a weapon. Soon afterward, Vazquez attacked and killed Turner. He sued and won a $10,000 settlement from the state. [17], After years of national and international pressure, the prison was demolished on 8 December 2002, the former complex having been turned into a park. One prisoner alleges that Wall ran a violent, contraband-driven fiefdom.. Two pending federal lawsuits allege that Wall and his officers sold weapons to gang members. When investigators examine surveillance videos of the murder, theyre troubled by what happens a few hours later: A man approaches a nurses office, where the killer is being held. 1992 military police killing of prisoners in Brazil, Act in memoriam of 111 prisoners dead in the incident. [6], By the end of the day, 111 prisoners were dead; and 37 more were injured. Both are members of the Folk Nation. Early on the morning of Nov. 15, 2013, Lanesboro had just four officers in the chow hall to oversee the 100 inmates who were there for breakfast, McCoy said. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Wall, who joined the prison system in 1995, was fired in August 2013 for willful violation of written rules and creating conditions that increased the chance of death or serious bodily injury, his dismissal letter states. Then he covers his mouth. Inside his cell block, inmate Christopher Cook expects trouble. Opened in the town of Polkton in 2004, the state-run prison has for years been plagued by stabbings, smuggled contraband and allegations of wrongdoing by corrections officers. He got the nickname Ghost Face as the only white kid hanging out in a Durham housing project. Staff researcher Maria David and David Raynor of The (Raleigh) News & Observer contributed. Cary man becomes 27th North Carolinian charged in Capitol riot. Less than an hour after the fight, SBI agent Audria Bridges began investigating the murder. It was me who was supposed to die that day.. The inmate was always in his office, and that was kind of unusual, Covington said. Bridges said she reviewed hours of surveillance video and saw that inmates frequently visited the office of an assistant prison manager a practice that she believed posed a danger to officers. SBI agents who investigated the killing said in interviews this week that they have no proof that corrections officers were trying to help the assailants. Corrections officers flocked to the scene after the stabbings, but only one shank was recovered. One of the officers seen making the keep-quiet gesture was Jeffery Wall, a former prison unit manager who was fired months after inmate Wesley Turners murder. Experts said that better staffing at the prison likely would have meant more eyes and ears on what inmates were doing, faster response times and more officers on the scene. "They might have had enough officers to subdue that inmate before he got that fire extinguisher from the sergeant," said Robert Webster, a former captain at two North Carolina maximum-security prisons. There, Ortiz and Zelaya-Sorto attacked and seriously injured inmate Christopher Cook. But in his first public comments about the hidden weapons, Wall said Lanesboros top administrator at the time Lawrence Parsons was unaware that he kept the weapons in his ceiling. Multiple attempts to reach Wall and Peguese including visits to their last known addresses in Anson County were unsuccessful. "It puts officers' lives in danger to be honest. They visited the office for about 15 minutes. Jurors deliberated for about half an hour before convicting Mikel. As soon as the inmates entered D pod, Ortiz and Sorto attacked Cook, surveillance video shows. CHARLOTTE A video taken inside Lanesboro Correctional Institution shows prison officials gesturing to suspects in an inmate's 2012 murder to keep their mouths shut after the killing, lawyers who represented one of the suspects said. [20] In April 2014, 15 additional policemen were sentenced to 48 years. [10] He was in charge of the special police unit ROTA that is known for having an aggressive approach to civil disturbance. Officers said excessive overtime work can leave them burned out and exhausted. The Observer repeatedly tried to reach Wall to discuss the Turner murder and the lawsuit allegations. Vazquez repeatedly stabs Turner with a shank. Prison surveillance video doesnt capture that meeting, so its unclear what they discussed. He acknowledged that he had heard complaints about Wall from officers at the prison, but they had no concrete evidence.. Officers found Dwyer dead at 10:15. His attorney, Joseph Ledford, wouldnt discuss his case and said he advised his client not to talk. The other inmate who was injured is being treated for his injuries. [9] Wall, now 45, wouldnt talk to the Observer. If Cooks DNA had turned up on any of the shanks in Walls office, that could have helped tie them to the attack. The man turns and looks directly into the room. Other inmates had told investigators that Hodges was supplying contraband to an inmate gang member who she later admitted was her boyfriend, court records show. One former officer, who rushed to a colleague's defense after she was slashed in the neck by an inmate at Lanesboro Correctional Institution, said the attack might have been prevented with more staff. The prison has a staff complement of 403 employees including correctional officers, administrators, food service, medical, dental and maintenance workers. Had there been more, he said, one female officer might never have been assaulted. Soon afterward, the suspects were escorted into offices where they received medical treatment. Richard Dwyer, a prisoner at Lanesboro Correctional Institution, died Aug. 17 of an apparent suicide, a state Department of Public Safety news release said. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. But local law enforcement officials are optimistic about changes at Lanesboro. The three wait outside Cooks cell block for more than a minute. Seconds later, Ortiz grabs a shank from his waistband and also begins slashing Cook. Official websites use .gov State prison leaders refused requests for all surveillance videos that show incidents in which Wall is accused of helping inmates wage attacks. Forensic tests did not tie any of the shanks in Walls ceiling to the attacks on Turner, according to Bridges, the SBI agent. Turner, who lived in D pod with the other three inmates, went through the door behind them. It was especially heartbreaking for me to see you go in the media from being a grieving father who lost a wife and a son to being the person indicted and convicted of killing them, Judge Clifton Newman said to Alex Murdaugh Friday. The LCI housed medium and close-security inmates and was one of the states largest prisons. Walls dismissal letter, obtained by The Observer, states that he had hidden bloody weapons in the ceiling of his old office. The confrontation began at about 8:30 a.m., when an inmate assaulted another inmate at the prison in Anson County, according to a statement from N.C. Director of Prisons Kenneth Lassiter. Ortiz and Vazquez didnt respond to the Observers requests for information about the case. In 2014, Vazquez pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for killing Turner. "It's so dangerous," Gravitte said. Why fans love it. Alex Murdaugh sentenced to life in prison for murders of wife, son in June 2021. Prison leaders plan to examine many factors, including staffing patterns, Guice said. They are now suing the facility. Wall is the first staff member to arrive. Friends and family described Juan Ortiz-Castillo as very jealous of his wife, according to police. Testimony from former unit manager Jeffery Wall came during the second day of a civil trial examining whether Walls supervisor, the top official at Lanesboro Correctional Institution, ignored serious problems and allowed Wall to maintain a violent, contraband-driven fiefdom.. If you go down to the local high school, you would see a way more controlled atmosphere than you saw in this video.. A video taken inside Lanesboro Correctional Institution shows prison officials gesturing to suspects in an inmates 2012 murder to keep their mouths shut after the killing, lawyers who represented one of the suspects said. [13] Although not entirely certain, his death was likely the result of his role in the massacre. Wynn, who is serving a life sentence following a 2008 murder conviction, was permanently disabled after one of the attacks, his lawyers say. Around 1:30 P.M., two groups got into a fight after a game of football; the fight quickly escalated into a prison riot that lasted three hours. "We've got a lot of folks who are not staying with us.". State prison leaders say they are holding many hiring events and partnering with schools and military bases to fill jobs. The Associated Press contributed to this report. He was sentenced to 32 to 48 months. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dana Washington, of the U.S. Attorneys Office in Charlotte, is in charge of the prosecution. MMA Junkie says that police officer Henrique Otavio Oliveira Velozo is a suspect. The murder, which occurred on Thursday June 5 in the hours before Easley and his father planned to watch the first game of the NBA finals together, left his family devastated. Heres a look at incidents at Lanesboro Correctional Institution since its opening in 2004: January 2009 - Inmate Bill Rayburn alleged he was repeatedly pepper-sprayed by correctional officers twice while he was naked after he requested medical help. Dates, what you need to know, Winthrop loses to Radford in Big South tournament quarterfinals, Bonnaroo vows to stay champion of self-expression despite Tennessee drag show ban. Have a question about Government Services? Its time, Cook wrote, to expose why Turner died. 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