Following the attack, more than 800 inmates were put on lockdown for several months. The first to enter is Julio Zelaya-Sorto, convicted of shooting and killing a man at a Greensboro nightclub. Prison officials investigated the murder, but refused to provide the Observer their report. State prison leaders say they are holding many hiring events and partnering with schools and military bases to fill jobs. 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. But, Cook said, Turner usually kept to himself. Surveillance video from that day offers a look behind the prisons walls: Inmates mill about in a hallway, some high-fiving, others hugging or bumping fists, as if they are high-school students changing classes. [1], The incident was started by a prisoner revolt. The officer opens the door for an inmate, and the three gang members follow him into a cell block where they dont belong. 1 inmate dead after incident at correctional center - WSOC TV An investigation by The Charlotte Observer found that state prison policies and management failures allow corruption to thrive. 1992 military police killing of prisoners in Brazil, Act in memoriam of 111 prisoners dead in the incident. The incident was reported around1:30 p.m. at theLanesboro Correctional Institution in Polkton. NC prison was understaffed when sergeant was beaten to death Its time, Cook wrote, to expose why Turner died. To investigators and the killers lawyers, his meaning seems clear: The man making that gesture isnt another inmate. In an 11-week period in early 2016, more than 15 staff members left Lanesboro under suspicion of wrongdoing, Mitchell said. A third inmate involved in the altercation that day Julio Alberto Zelaya-Sorto pleaded guilty last month to assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill. Officials say the men used a homemade shank as a weapon. On the morning of Sept. 28, 2012, the day that Turner was stabbed to death, there were rumors of potential violence. Bridges said she doesnt buy that explanation. Daniel Roberts, one of the lawyers, said at a sentencing hearing that the footage suggests prison officials may have sanctioned the attack or looked the other way. But Jeffery Wall the unit manager who made the gesture has been accused in federal lawsuits of facilitating two other gang attacks the same year. "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. That was one of three times inmates attacked Mitchell. Bridges said she doesnt believe that. Soon afterward, a corrections officer allowed the inmates into the pod where the murder took place. One of those shanks was stained, possibly from blood, Bridges said. [13] Although not entirely certain, his death was likely the result of his role in the massacre. He goes straight to Cook, who is bleeding, and motions for him to get down on his knees. In 2014, we reported that an inmate stabbed a prison administrator as he walked through the prison recreation yard. The N.C. Department of Public Safety has declined the Observers requests for copies of the video, citing ongoing investigative reviews.. 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. Then shelter shared desperate plea, What to Watch Friday: Dateline and 20/20 update Murdaugh murder trial coverage, Mail carrier cant believe his eyes after seeing NC lottery win. Zelaya-Sorto pulls out a shank a handmade knife from inside his jumpsuit and lunges at Cook. 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. A federal lawsuit, filed last month by five former Lanesboro inmates, alleges that corrections officers helped gang members wage attacks against other inmates. 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. Asheville:(828) 271-4661. Id like to see the truth be told about what really does go on in here.. But after investigating for more than a year, the SBI closed the case. Department spokesman Keith Acree said the two are being treated for their injuries at local hospitals. He was scheduled to stay in jail until 2017. Several days after the incident police still had not arrested a suspect or determined a motive for the murder. I believe its not a coincidence that they are in that office within minutes of carrying out that hit, Bridges told an Observer reporter. [7], The country was in major shock from the massacre. Officers said excessive overtime work can leave them burned out and exhausted. Lanesboro Correctional Institution houses about 1,800 inmates in close, medium and minimum custody. 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. Prisons to weaken correctional officer vetting, critics says I would like to see the truth be told about what happens at Lanesboro. Prison officials considered that a clear threat to staff. [12] Guimares, who was also a member of the So Paulo state legislature, was assassinated in September 2006. Western North Carolina They have a very difficult job Most of them do it the right way. 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. Authorities say prison Sgt. [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. A prison officer and two inmates were injured during a fight at Lanesboro Correctional Institution Thursday morning, state prison officials said. In February, the FBI charged former Lanesboro officer Evangeline Hunt with smuggling in drugs and other contraband for inmates. He sued and won a $10,000 settlement from the state. Prison leaders say that when staff vacancies at a prison rise, they make adjustments, such as moving prisoners, reducing inmate programs and sending fewer staff members to special training. 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. Vazquez, 32, had already been serving an eight- to 10-year sentence for second-degree murder. He was sentenced to 32 to 48 months. Located in Polkton, about 45 miles east of Charlotte, Lanesboro has repeatedly drawn scrutiny after violence, contraband smuggling and allegations of improper conduct by corrections officers. Lanesboro has a standard operating capacity of 864 close-custody male inmates, with 128 segregation cells and 8 health care beds. The crackdown has reduced assaults, a DPS spokesman said. A fellow prisoner, Joel Corto Ortiz, pleaded guilty to felony assault with a deadly weapon for stabbing Christopher Cook, another inmate who was seriously injured in the fight. Prison inmate Mikel Brady guilty of killing 4 prison workers The settlement was reached after the trio and two other state prisoners, Orlando Harshaw and Stacey Wynn, sued Lanesboro Correctional Institution Superintendent Lawrence Parsons and other prison officials for allowing and facilitating attacks by gang members in a part of the prison run by Unit Supervisor Jeffrey E. Wall. Later, an officer delivered other personal property to Wall, who had been waiting in front of the prison gatehouse. Angela Smith, who worked as. 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. 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.. He said hes haunted by Turners murder and has branded the letters of his best friends nickname into his right side. In 2014, a Lanesboro officer was paid $29,800 but made another $35,600 in overtime. According to Acree, the prison is temporarily locked down while an investigation begins. Guards allegedly opened Ortiz and Vazquez didnt respond to the Observers requests for information about the case. A North Carolina inmate has been sentenced to at least 12 more years in prison for the gang-related murder of a fellow inmate, a case that has exposed further problems at Lanesboro Correctional Institution. A prison with 1,000 inmates should have a total of at least 300 to 350 officers, he said. 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. Soon afterward, Vazquez attacked and killed Turner. 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. Three weeks later, Wall was fired. Ortiz is scheduled to get out in 2019. Inmates at this prison are kept under close watch and have committed very serious crimes. August 2011 - Eighteen inmates assaulted staff members throughout the month. 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. Inmates indicted on murder charges for death and injury of fellow inmates For almost two years, an Observer reporter exchanged letters with inmate Christopher Cook, who described what led to the attack that killed Turner. Officers skipped their required rounds at the prison the night Quick died, records show. Hes a manager at Lanesboro Correctional Institution. He would not discuss the lawsuit or his testimony with an Observer reporter. 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. The state has changed the prisons leadership several times in recent years. The state has recently made offers to about 400 officer candidates, so the vacancy rate will likely drop, Guice said. 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. Why fans love it. The incident was reported around 1:30 p.m. at the Lanesboro Correctional Institution in Polkton. Carandiru massacre - Wikipedia Parsons testified that it was easy for inmates to make weapons, from broom handles, batteries and even toothbrushes. In such situations inmates will sometimes send associates to threaten the officers, or even assault them. Brooke, James. In interviews with investigators, officer Kearry Hinson said he picked up one of the weapons used in the fight and gave it to Wall. Leandro Lo, a legendary jiu-jitsu fighter, was killed in Brazil, according to MMA Junkie.He was 33 years old. 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. "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. 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. in Criminal Justice: Law Enforcement, A.S. in Criminal Justice, B.S. Hodges was sentenced to two years in federal prison. The Associated Press contributed to this report. 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. - 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. ANSON COUNTY, NC (WBTV) - One inmate is dead andanother injured after an incident at a state prison in Anson County. Peguese resigned from the system in May 2013, while he was under investigation, said Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Pamela Walker. They are now suing the facility. They were planning to go to that unit to settle a dispute with Cook, who belonged to a different gang. A federal lawsuit, filed last month by five former Lanesboro inmates, alleges that corrections officers helped gang members wage attacks against other inmates. The massacre, which left 111 prisoners dead, is considered by many people to be a major human rights violation. Some family members believe that the murder may have been . ANSON COUNTY, N.C. One inmate is dead after an incident at Lanesboro Correctional Center in Anson County. Bridges said forensic tests did not conclusively tie any of the weapons in Walls office to the attack on Turner. Charlotte, NC 28202, Charlotte: (704) 344-6222 Its so dangerous that some officers begin their work days by asking those coming off the previous shift how many assaults theyve just seen. 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. His name has not been released. The inmate who spent time with Wall Joseph Sanderlin was involved in at least two attacks at Lanesboro, Wynns attorneys say. Seconds later, Ortiz grabs a shank from his waistband and also begins slashing Cook. [6], By the end of the day, 111 prisoners were dead; and 37 more were injured. Meggan Callahan was killed by an inmate at Bertie Correctional Institution Wednesday evening. 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. Driver arrested after video shows him nearly hitting students at their school bus stop. Richard Dwyer, a prisoner at Lanesboro Correctional Institution, died Aug. 17 of an apparent suicide, a state Department of Public Safety news release said. The Anson County Sheriff's Office says one inmate is dead and another was stabbed. It was me who was supposed to die that day.. One Polk officer made $29,800 in salary in 2015. Ortiz later told investigators his weapon was a plastic toilet bowl cleaner with a sharpened end. The dismissal letter, signed by Lanesboros acting administrator at the time, called Walls statement a clear threat of injury or harm to staff.. He said I could face an EEO (Equal Employment Opportunity) complaint for making false accusations.. There, Ortiz and Zelaya-Sorto attacked and seriously injured inmate Christopher Cook. News anchor Fred Shropshire is leaving Charlotte station WCNC. This story was originally published December 13, 2014, 4:41 PM. Hands among the dead were found in front of the face or behind the head suggesting defensive positions. McCoy heard the officer curse and saw her struggling with an inmate. RT @PresstvExtra: At least 40 people have been killed in flooding and landslides in Brazil's So Paulo state, officials say. Special Agent in Charge John A. Press TV on Twitter: "RT @PresstvExtra: At least 40 people have been By Ames Alexander - aalexander@charlotteobserver.com. Police haven't arrested his shooter and there are big questions about what led up to Thursday. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. The first inmates arrived in January 2004. Wynn said he did not want to be branded as a prison snitch, a label that can get inmates hurt. The weapons were found nearly a year and a half after the deadly fight, and forensic tests did not tie any of them to the attacks on Turner and Cook. Wall had been assigned to another prison while the Turner investigation was underway. They assert that releasing the videos could jeopardize prison security. Finding people who are willing to work as prison officers isn't easy. Cook, the target of the 2012 attack, was released from prison in March. Many of the large maximum-security prisons such as Bertie and Lanesboro are located in rural areas, where recruiting can be difficult. Officers often find that they may become targets outside of the work place for incidents that began inside the jails and prisons in which they work. 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. 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A correctional officer in the state of North Carolina was recently murdered, just one month before his wedding. Located in Polkton, about 45 miles east of Charlotte, Lanesboro has repeatedly drawn. The facility was a detention center, not a penitentiary, meaning that the inmates had not yet been tried or convicted. Then he covers his mouth. And they say pay increases approved by the legislature in 2015 will also help with recruiting. A lawyer for the killer said in a court hearing that he believes prison officials either sanctioned the September 2012 attack or looked the other way. The shank didnt belong there. About 60 inmates were also near Callahan when she was attacked on April 26, Jernigan said. Inmate Gregorio Cortez Vazquez pleaded guilty earlier this month to second-degree murder in Turners stabbing death and was sentenced to up 16 additional years in prison. [25] Since the massacre, Brazil's federal government has passed new legislation to reform the prison system, all of which has yet to be enforced.[26]. The FBI investigated the case. Inmates within the LCI were prohibited from possessing controlled substances and are permitted to use controlled substances only when prescribed by a medical professional and under the direct supervision of LCI staff. He had 43. But if another staff member had been standing beside the officer that morning, "there's a possibility (Mosley) would have kept walking," McCoy said. Copyright 2012 WBTV. WINDSOR, NC (Ames Alexander and Gavin Off/The Charlotte Observer) - Bertie Correctional Institution was understaffed the month that Sgt. State officials say they are working to improve conditions at Lanesboro. 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. Most (of the prisons officers) are good, hard-working folks, said Underwood, the SBI supervisor. No, I dont think he would have.. Human rights groups such as Human Rights Watch have also documented statistics of police violence and acquittals in Brazil. All three of the Latino inmates had sharp weapons. Cook is unarmed. The CO was reportedly stabbed and suffered heavy bleeding after responding to an inmate fight. According to the indictment, between August and September 2018, while employed at LCI as a correctional officer, Blyther accepted a bribe to smuggle a controlled substance into the LCI on behalf of an inmate housed at the facility. Hes a rookie at Lanesboro who is new to that job, still learning who to let in and who to keep out. 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.. October 04, 1992. 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. 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. It's as simple as that.". He stretches his arms wide above his head, then lowers them and covers his mouth with both hands. 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. In 2014, a Lanesboro officer was paid $29,800 but made another $35,600 in overtime. POLKTON, N.C. -- Authorities in North Carolina say two supervisors were stabbed and two correctional officers were assaulted with a broom handle in an attack at a state prison. She earned an extra $36,500 in overtime that year, records show. He also said he had not kept a gun in plain view inside his car, contrary to what a corrections officer had reported. Wesley Turner, a former inmate at Lanesboro Correctional Institution, was stabbed to death in a 2012 prison fight. in Criminal Justice - Corrections, and M.S. At 11:49 a.m., less than half an hour before the fatal fight begins, Wall walks into an office with an inmate. The LCI housed medium and close-security inmates and was one of the states largest prisons. One inmate warned Lanesboro prison officials that Latino gang members were armed with homemade knives and planning an attack. In October, the prisons top administrator, David Mitchell, was injured after he was stabbed in the neck by an inmate wielding a plastic shank. We encourage you to perform your own independent Lock Officers said excessive overtime work can leave them burned out and exhausted. CO stabbed during inmate fight at NC prison - Corrections1 Some correctional officers have more than doubled their income by working overtime. Officer, two inmates assaulted and injured at Lanesboro prison | Rock NC prison was understaffed when Sgt. Meggan Callahan was beaten - WBTV Multiple attempts to reach Wall and Peguese including visits to their last known addresses in Anson County were unsuccessful. January 2013 - A former Lanesboro correctional officer began sending letters to state officials, describing several incidents in which some prison officials appeared to collude with gang members. / CBS/AP. Wall said he put the shanks in the ceiling because he couldnt lock his desk drawer or file cabinet, his dismissal letter states. Blyther is charged with use of interstate facility to facilitate bribery, which carries a maximum prison term of five years and a $250,000 fine; extortion under color of official right, which carries a maximum prison term of 20 years and a $250,000 fine; and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, which carries a maximum prison term of 10 years and a $250,000 fine.
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