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. State Bureau of Investigation agents say they are examining possible wrongdoing by former Lanesboro officers and cannot discuss the assertions by Vazquezs lawyers. 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. Willis, G. D. (2002). Several days after the incident police still had not arrested a suspect or determined a motive for the murder. 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. Inside his cell block, inmate Christopher Cook expects trouble. WINDSOR, NC (Ames Alexander and Gavin Off/The Charlotte Observer) - Bertie Correctional Institution was understaffed the month that Sgt. The shank didnt belong there. Have a question about Government Services? Officers said excessive overtime work can leave them burned out and exhausted. Vazquez and Zelaya-Sorto are scheduled for release in 2028. 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. Authorities say prison Sgt. It's as simple as that.". The five men say they filed the lawsuit because of their time at Lanesboro Correctional Institution. Ortiz later told investigators his weapon was a plastic toilet bowl cleaner with a sharpened end. The defendant is innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt in a court of law. Inmates at this prison are kept under close watch and have committed very serious crimes. In a recorded phone conversation, Hunt told a friend she knew a bunch of corrupt officers, according to an FBI affidavit. According to charges contained in the federal indictment, Blyther worked as a correctional officer at the Lanesboro Correctional Institution (LCI), since renamed Anson Correctional Institution, a state prison located in Polkton, North Carolina. But Harkins said the numbers provided by North Carolina suggest Bertie was "severely understaffed.". The crackdown has reduced assaults, a DPS spokesman said. In 2014, a Lanesboro officer was paid $29,800 but made another $35,600 in overtime. NC prison officials asked for inmates' silence after killing - Corrections1 In a court filing, he said he never facilitated attacks. In 2012, an inmate at Lanesboro Correctional Institution was killed during a gang fight. Thats Wall in the white shirt and tie entering the hallway on the video. Whether corrections officers helped facilitate any of what occurred that day, we dont know, said Tony Underwood, the special agent in charge of the nine-county SBI district that includes Anson and Mecklenburg counties. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The indictment was unsealed today in federal court, following Blythers arrest by the FBI. More than 45 N.C. prison officers have been fired . Department spokesman Keith Acree said the two are being treated for their injuries at local hospitals. Inmates indicted on murder charges for death and injury of fellow inmates [7], The country was in major shock from the massacre. Wall and another prison manager walk down the hallway minutes later, then stop outside the office. Soon afterward, a corrections officer allowed the inmates into the pod where the murder took place. They were among five inmates formerly held at Lanesboro Correctional Institution, about 45 miles (70 kilometers) east of Charlotte, who said they were stabbed by gang members who operated openly in a prison wing overseen by Jeffrey Wall. A prison officer and two inmates were injured during a fight at Lanesboro Correctional Institution Thursday morning, state prison officials said. Then he covers his mouth. Lock Theyre within feet of an officer who controls the locked door to the block. The lawsuit being litigated at Charlottes federal courthouse this week was brought by Stacey Wynn, an inmate who suffered serious injuries following two November 2011 assaults at Lanesboro. But by that time, the officer was already bleeding profusely. Suite 1650
Blyther was arrested by the FBI on Tuesday, October 29, 2019, and had his initial appearance this morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge David S. Cayer. He did not respond. In 2014, we reported that an inmate stabbed a prison administrator as he walked through the prison recreation yard. About 60 inmates were also near Callahan when she was attacked on April 26, Jernigan said. Wesley Turner has come to defend Cook, his friend. Soon afterward, Vazquez attacked and killed Turner. State prison officials refused to say how many staff were on duty the day Callahan died. Zelaya-Sorto and Ortiz pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon. 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. The facility was a detention center, not a penitentiary, meaning that the inmates had not yet been tried or convicted. Corrections officers flocked to the scene after the stabbings, but only one shank was recovered. Lake Norman mansion for sale hosted famous Talladega Nights Hollywood dinner scene, Ex-high school coach accused of sex crimes against 6 more athletes, NC sheriff says. "When your shift starts at 5:30 a.m. and you work 12 hours and you get told you're held over till 9 (p.m.) you're not alert. A video taken inside Lanesboro in 2012 and obtained by the Observer shows Wall meeting with gang members just minutes before those inmates, armed with homemade weapons, became involved in a. Guice, the prison leader, acknowledged that the state faces significant staffing challenges. They have a very difficult job Most of them do it the right way. The case was brought before the inter-American Commission by The Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL), the Teotnio Vilela Commission for Human Rights, and Human Rights Watch, and in 2000, eight years after the massacre, they condemned Brazil for it. The prison is named for the nearby community of Lanesboro. Asheville:(828) 271-4661. The vigil and pleas for justice led to several trials for the officers involved in the massacre that same year. One of those shanks was stained, possibly from blood, Bridges said. A spokesman for the N.C. Department of Corrections says two inmates were taken to the hospital. Bridges also questioned why Wall met with two gang members minutes before they attacked Cook. 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. But prison officials did release the monthly figures, which show that the prison had 211 officers available to work in April. October 2014 - Prison administrator David Mitchell was stabbed in the neck by an inmate wielding a plastic shank. Three officers assaulted at Bertie Correctional Institution - WITN 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. Minutes before the Sept. 28, 2012, assault that killed Wesley Turner, two inmates involved visited the office of an assistant unit manager at the Anson County prison, State Bureau of Investigation agents say. The suits also contend that Wall facilitated attacks on two other inmates the same year Turner was killed. Subsequent searches found numerous cellphones, improvised weapons and marijuana. The Carandiru massacre (Portuguese: Massacre do Carandiru, Portuguese: [msaki du kdiu]) occurred on Friday, 2 October 1992, in Carandiru Penitentiary in So Paulo, Brazil, when military police stormed the penitentiary following a prison riot.The massacre, which left 111 prisoners dead, is considered by many people to be a major human rights violation. [9] 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.. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. Wesley Turner, a former inmate at Lanesboro Correctional Institution, was stabbed to death in a 2012 prison fight. In interviews with investigators, officer Kearry Hinson said he picked up one of the weapons used in the fight and gave it to Wall. But after investigating for more than a year, the SBI closed the case. She and her colleagues in the Charlotte SBI office were frequently called to investigate crimes there, including officers charged with bringing drugs to inmates. The LCI housed medium and close-security inmates and was one of the states largest prisons. NC prison was understaffed when sergeant was beaten to death 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. The commanding officer of the operation, Colonel Ubiratan Guimares, was initially sentenced to 632 years in prison for his mishandling of the rebellion and the subsequent massacre. And they say pay increases approved by the legislature in 2015 will also help with recruiting. In such situations inmates will sometimes send associates to threaten the officers, or even assault them. "If inmates wanted to jump another inmate or take somebody out that day, that would be the time to do it when you're understaffed. Some facts related to events surrounding the murder of inmate Wesley Turner are drawn from prison surveillance video obtained by the Observer. I would like to see the truth be told about what happens at Lanesboro. They were planning to go to that unit to settle a dispute with Cook, who belonged to a different gang. Starting in November 2013, more than 800 inmates at the prison were put on lockdown for several months after an attack injured a corrections officer. On the morning of Sept. 28, 2012, the day that Turner was stabbed to death, there were rumors of potential violence. He said he based his suspicions on information from inmate informants and prison surveillance video. ", "The inmates literally say, 'You all are understaffed, so if we wanted to, we could overtake this prison.' The fatal fight broke out roughly five minutes after the inmates left the office. Wall told Bridges that he was asking about rumors of a planned attack on him. NC sergeant killed by inmate worked in understaffed prison | Charlotte 2016 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. In July 2013, 10 months after the attack, Bridges was at Lanesboro interviewing an inmate when she got a tip. 111 Killed When Police Storm Brazilian Prison During Inmate Riot. The New York Times. State figures show that in April, when Callahan died, roughly one of every five correctional officer positions at the eastern North Carolina prison was vacant. A spokesman for the N.C. Department of Corrections says two inmates were taken to the hospital. Turner, 35, had also been serving time for second-degree murder and was scheduled for release in 2017. I didnt have enough cooperation to connect the dots, she said. He was scheduled to stay in jail until 2017. Hes a rookie at Lanesboro who is new to that job, still learning who to let in and who to keep out. A federal lawsuit, filed last month by five former Lanesboro inmates, alleges that corrections officers helped gang members wage attacks against other inmates. Leandro Lo, a legendary jiu-jitsu fighter, was killed in Brazil, according to MMA Junkie.He was 33 years old. 227 West Trade St.
A corrections officer opened the door that allowed the three convicted inmates into an adjacent pod. Official websites use .gov Searches found numerous cellphones, improvised weapons and marijuana. Another prison manager in that cramped office at the time told investigators that she was not paying attention as Wall spoke to the gang members, Bridges said. Our theory is that, at best, the corrections officers knew (the attack) was going to happen and did nothing to stop it, Smith said. They have nothing to worry about, Wall told the officer, according to the document, because if I wanted to get anyone, I could get them touched from the outside.. All three of the convicted inmates have been transferred to other state prisons. Meggan Callahan was killed there allegedly by an inmate who beat her to death with a fire extinguisher. Both inmates are members of MS-13, a powerful Latino gang. A prison with 1,000 inmates should have a total of at least 300 to 350 officers, he said. The four staff members at the Lanesboro. Officials: Lanesboro guard smuggled heroin for inmate Later, investigators found bloody weapons hidden in the ceiling of Walls old office. Some correctional officers have more than doubled their income by working overtime. Soon afterward, he contacted a Lanesboro employee, asking her to retrieve the contraband from the ceiling of his old office, his dismissal letter states. He stretches his arms high. November 2014 - Five former Lanesboro inmates filed a federal lawsuit alleging that officers at the Anson County prison repeatedly helped gang-affiliated inmates get weapons and wage attacks. Turner reportedly belonged to the same gang as Cook and was trying to go to his defense. He said I could face an EEO (Equal Employment Opportunity) complaint for making false accusations.. He goes straight to Cook, who is bleeding, and motions for him to get down on his knees. NC prison officers skip security rounds, endanger inmates | Raleigh ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. For instance, they noted, he failed to tell prison officers after his attacker assaulted him the first time. His dismissal letter states that he helped create conditions that increased the chance of death or serious bodily injury to employees, inmates or the public. The gashes in the officer's face and neck required 39 stitches. Another prisoner also slips through the door. Reporters interviewed Cook in March, two days after he was released from prison. POLKTON, N.C. - A lieutenant and a sergeant were stabbed by inmates at Lanesboro Correctional Institution around 2 p.m. Thursday and are being treated for their injuries at local hospitals, a Secure .gov websites use HTTPS He had 43. Wall said he put the shanks in the ceiling because he couldnt lock his desk drawer or file cabinet, his dismissal letter states. The Anson County Sheriff's Office says one inmate is dead and another was stabbed. Richard Dwyer, a prisoner at Lanesboro Correctional Institution, died Aug. 17 of an apparent suicide, a state Department of Public Safety news release said. If the officer knew an assault was going to take place, would he have opened the door? Bridges asked. The incident was reported around1:30 p.m. at theLanesboro Correctional Institution in Polkton. (Parsons) told me I couldnt say anything about another sergeant bringing in marijuana, Wilburn testified. At least 12 dead after winter storm slams South, Midwest, The Saturday Six: Dental device controversy, scientist's bug find and more, Indonesia fuel depot fire kills 18; more than a dozen missing, 3 children killed, 2 others wounded at Texas home, Man charged for alleged involvement in 2 transformer explosions, Nikki Haley slams potential GOP contenders, and Trump and George W. Bush, Duo of 81-year-old women plan to see the world in 80 days, Tom Sizemore, actor known for "Saving Private Ryan" and "Heat," dies at 61, Alex Murdaugh trial: What to know about the double murder case, Colombia wants to deport "cocaine hippos" to stop them from multiplying, Alex Murdaugh found guilty of murders of wife and son. Among them: a manager suspected of being too close to inmates. On Dec. 28, a guard at Brown Creek Correctional Institution, a medium-security prison located adjacent to Lanesboro, was accused of trying to smuggle marijuana and painkillers into the facility to give to an inmate there. North Carolina Correctional Officer Killed in Front of Home Just out of view, in the lower right-hand corner of the video, a second fight erupts. "When you don't have adequate staff to manage the inmates, and there's an incident, unfortunately people can get hurt and sometimes people even die," Webster said. Another officer suffered serious cuts to his face last month after he was assaulted by an inmate with a bladed weapon. The facility houses medium- and close-security inmates. He said three inmates believed to be involved in the assault have been identified and are being questioned. In 2014, a Lanesboro officer was paid $29,800 but made another $35,600 in overtime. [15] The surviving gang members joined forces with other prisoners to provide protection against the police. Designed to hold 1,400 inmates, the prison has a staff of about 500. Turner, according to the NCDPS, was serving time in the prison for the chargesof second degree murder, conspiracy murder first degree, and an attempted prison escape.