Willis, G. D. (2002). Officers sprint in behind Wall, cornering the three attackers. He joined the Folk Nation at age 16, was convicted of damaging property soon afterward, and later committed armed robbery, kidnapping and more than a dozen other crimes.
4 correctional officers stabbed at North Carolina prison Recently, North Carolina inmates were able to smuggle a cell phone into the detention facility in which they were detained, and use it to orchestrate the kidnapping of the father of a prosecutor in the state. Its so dangerous that some officers begin their work days by asking those coming off the previous shift how many assaults theyve just seen. They were planning to go to that unit to settle a dispute with Cook, who belonged to a different gang. Gregorio Cortez Vazquez, who was accused of stabbing Turner, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder Wednesday in Anson County Superior Court and was sentenced to up to 16 years. A former high-ranking administrator accused of fostering violence at one of North Carolinas most dangerous prisons acknowledged in federal court Tuesday that he kept homemade weapons such as shanks hidden in the ceiling of his prison office. In 2014, we reported that an inmate stabbed a prison administrator as he walked through the prison recreation yard. Relatives of those killed and human rights activists have both demanded and appealed for justice. Other prison staff members showed him where it was, he said. He said he based his suspicions on information from inmate informants and prison surveillance video. The slain officer, Bias Easley, worked at the Lanesboro Correctional Institute, which is located near Wadesboro. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Turner was scheduled to get out of prison this year, too. Lanesboro Correctional Institution houses about 1,800 inmates in close, medium and minimum custody. Police are asking anyone with information related to the Easley murder to contact them immediately. Roy Cooper has asked him to review the circumstances "to ensure this doesn't happen again.". 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. Hes a rookie at Lanesboro who is new to that job, still learning who to let in and who to keep out. 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. 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. Inmates at this prison are kept under close watch and have committed very serious crimes. The father was eventually rescued relatively unharmed, but the incident was a reminder of how an incident originating inside a jail or prison can quickly turn into a dangerous situation on the outside. Vazquez and Zelaya-Sorto are scheduled for release in 2028. But he said that Gov. WINDSOR, NC (Ames Alexander and Gavin Off/The Charlotte Observer) - Bertie Correctional Institution was understaffed the month that Sgt. It did not appear to be a normal prison relationship that a correctional officer should have with inmates, Underwood said. Ronald Covington, a former captain at Lanesboro, testified that Wall appeared to be close to a gang-affiliated inmate. 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. State prison policy says weapons potential criminal evidence should be kept in a locked container in the prisons armory. A female officer told Bridges that Wall just called looking for help. Some family members believe that the murder may have been . Prison leaders say they have begun assigning new officers "career readiness coaches," who provide pointers on dealing with inmates, keeping themselves safe and attaining career goals. Wall was eventually fired in 2013, after Parsons had left Lanesboro and after the homemade shanks were found hidden in the ceiling of Walls office. Wall and another prison manager walk down the hallway minutes later, then stop outside the office. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Bridges and a prison captain searched the ceiling and found videos of prison fights, nine rods, a long metal shank and three bloody shanks. The man turns and looks directly into the room.
NC prison officials asked for inmates' silence after killing - Corrections1 For the past nine years, Sapper has served as the operations manager for the Coastal Region, overseeing 12 prisons in eastern North Carolina. All three of the convicted inmates have been transferred to other state prisons. "All it would take is for five or ten guys to decide we're going to take over the prison. They contended those numbers constitute "sensitive public security information.". Officers said excessive overtime work can leave them burned out and exhausted. And they say pay increases approved by the legislature in 2015 will also help with recruiting. The incident was reported around1:30 p.m. at theLanesboro Correctional Institution in Polkton. The indictment was unsealed today in federal court, following Blythers arrest by the FBI. Murder probe exposes more problems at Lanesboro prison, Former SC governor, Trump ally Nikki Haley coming to Myrtle Beach as she runs for president, Fort Mill just named its top teachers and staff members for 2023. Both are members of the Folk Nation. In an email to the Observer, state prison leaders said they have no evidence to support that conversations and gestures with inmates seen in the surveillance video are anything other than normal discussions with the inmate population.. The officer who opened the door for the three convicted inmates told SBI agents he did so because he thought the prisoners were returning to their unit following a meal. No, I dont think he would have.. 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. The vigil and pleas for justice led to several trials for the officers involved in the massacre that same year. [5] The prisoners were stripped, locked in their cells and shot. 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. 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. The prison has a staff complement of 403 employees including correctional officers, administrators, food service, medical, dental and maintenance workers. 111 Killed When Police Storm Brazilian Prison During Inmate Riot. The New York Times. 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 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. Its also unclear where Zelays-Sorto and Ortiz go immediately after the meeting breaks up.
Richard Dwyer, a prisoner at Lanesboro Correctional Institution, died Aug. 17 of an apparent suicide, a state Department of Public Safety news release said. Attorneys for the state quizzed Wynn why he didnt take steps that might have allowed him to avoid the attack. Updated: 4:34 PM EST November 9, 2012. 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.
Press TV on Twitter: "RT @PresstvExtra: At least 40 people have been Peguese resigned from the system in May 2013, while he was under investigation, said Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Pamela Walker. Many of North Carolina's maximum-security prisons are operating dangerously short of staff, current and former correctional officers told the Observer. "We've got a lot of folks who are not staying with us.". The massacre also gained international attention, with The New York Times, publishing one article titled "111 Killed When Police Storm Brazilian Prison During Inmate Riot" the same year as the massacre. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. Lanesboro has a standard operating capacity of 864 close-custody male inmates, with 128 segregation cells and 8 health care beds. But after investigating for more than a year, the SBI closed the case. To cope with the shortages, many prisons have also paid hundreds of thousands each year for overtime. Fan-favorite Buc-ees gas station confirms new Florida location near Interstate 75, Jo-To Japanese Steak House, a Bradenton-Sarasota landmark for 40 years, to close soon, Ghislaine Maxwell appeals verdict and 20-year sex-trafficking sentence, Judge releases Florida students jailed for posting TikTok videos with Nerf gun filter, Public has a right to know: Lawmakers seek to open Jeffrey Epstein grand jury records, 3 young teens charged with murder after 15-year-old shot in Bradenton, sheriff says, Deputies arrest Parrish student accused of making false tip of school shooting threat, Florida man known as Milkshake pleads guilty to assault in Jan. 6 Capitol Riot. RT @PresstvExtra: At least 40 people have been killed in flooding and landslides in Brazil's So Paulo state, officials say. Surveillance videos and shanks hidden in the ceiling of a prison managers office raised questions about whether prison officials helped plan the attack or allowed it to happen. The disclosures raise new questions about the role that corrections officers have played in violence at the high-security prison in Anson County. The suits also contend that Wall facilitated attacks on two other inmates the same year Turner was killed. Polkton is 45 miles southeast of Charlotte.
Leandro Lo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Star, Killed in So Paulo - Sports Theyre within feet of an officer who controls the locked door to the block. A corrections officer opened the door that allowed the three convicted inmates into an adjacent pod. Bridges said she doesnt believe that. In 2014, a Lanesboro officer was paid $29,800 but made another $35,600 in overtime. 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. Two pending federal lawsuits allege that Wall and his officers sold weapons to gang members. Roberts, one of Vazquezs attorneys, said he was surprised to see how freely inmates at Lanesboro were allowed to roam the prison.
9 investigates assaults on Lanesboro prison staff members [21] Officers said excessive overtime work can leave them burned out and exhausted. 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. Meggan Callahan was killed by an inmate at Bertie Correctional Institution Wednesday evening. "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. Prisoners were reported attacking each other with knives and pipes. Lo's lawyer confirmed to Brazilian news outlet G1 on Sunday that Lo was killed Saturday at a concert in So Paulo. One Polk officer made $29,800 in salary in 2015. 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. Wilburn English, a prison sergeant who previously worked at Lanesboro, recalled a day when Parsons and Wall came to talk with him. Accessed March 29, 2018. Cook, the target of the 2012 attack, was released from prison in March. David Guice, the state's chief deputy secretary for adult correction and juvenile justice, said he does not yet know whether better staffing at Bertie would have made any difference the day that Callahan was killed. Human rights groups such as Human Rights Watch have also documented statistics of police violence and acquittals in Brazil. Alex Murdaugh sentenced to life in prison for murders of wife, son in June 2021, Get ready to change your clocks.
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. Bridges said forensic tests did not conclusively tie any of the weapons in Walls office to the attack on Turner. The state Department of Public Safety says an inmate at Bertie. When Callahan was attacked, two other officers were nearby, according to Anthony Jernigan, who heads the State Bureau of Investigation office that covers northeastern North Carolina. But prison officials did release the monthly figures, which show that the prison had 211 officers available to work in April. In 2014, a Lanesboro officer was paid $29,800 but made another $35,600 in overtime. The North Carolina Department of Public Safety says a lieutenant and a sergeant were stabbed by inmates at Lanesboro Correctional Institution in Polkton around 2 p.m. Thursday. Most (of the prisons officers) are good, hard-working folks, said Underwood, the SBI supervisor. Drive down U.S. 74 toward the beach and you may not realize its there. More than 45 N.C. prison officers have been fired . First published on September 29, 2016 / 6:08 PM.
North Carolina Correctional Officer Killed in Front of Home Officers skipped their required rounds at the prison the night Quick died, records show. Walker said she cant discuss specifics, but the investigation was not related to the Turner case. Why would someone working in a prison give someone who is suspected of being involved in a murder a be quiet sign? Roberts said in an interview with the Observer. The officer noticed a gun in Walls vehicle, the letter states. Heres the list, Former Panthers site entrance, large home lots near Lake Wylie among Rock Hill plans, Death investigation after man found shot to death in Chester County, sheriff says, Man charged with DUI after 3-year-old child dies in Fort Mill car crash, police say, Powerful storm system across the East will impact the Rock Hill regions weather, Alex Murdaugh sentenced to life in prison for murders of wife, son in June 2021, Alex Murdaughs attorneys say theyll appeal double-murder conviction, When is spring bike week 2023 happening in Myrtle Beach? The current capacity of Lanesboro Correctional Institution is 1,400 adult male inmates. He would not discuss the lawsuit or his testimony with an Observer reporter. "You can only spread people so thin," she said. 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. She earned an extra $36,500 in overtime that year, records show. All three of the Latino inmates had sharp weapons. Have a question about Government Services? 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. Staff researcher Maria David and editor Rogelio Aranda contributed. Please enter valid email address to continue. Wall was transferred to work at a different prison while under investigation in July 2013. The five men say they filed the lawsuit because of their time at Lanesboro Correctional Institution. They are joined by a third Latino gang member, Gregorio Vazquez, who is in prison for second-degree murder. 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. The defendant is innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt in a court of law. Cook said he met him in 2001, when Turner came to his aid in a fight against correctional officers. That was one of three times inmates attacked Mitchell. 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. [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". 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. Staff researcher Maria David and David Raynor of The (Raleigh) News & Observer contributed. Suite 1650
At least eight Lanesboro officers were caught bringing in drugs, cellphones and tobacco from early 2013 to early 2017, according to law enforcement records. In a court filing, Wall said he never facilitated attacks. Ortiz is scheduled to get out in 2019. 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. Among them: a manager suspected of being too close to inmates. Parsons, now retired, testified Tuesday that during his time at Lanesboro, he took a number of steps to reduce violence and keep weapons out of the hands of inmates. Police haven't arrested his shooter and there are big questions about what led up to Thursday. Learn how and when to remove this template message, "111 Killed When Police Storm Brazilian Prison During Inmate Riot", "Carandiru v. Brasil, Report, Report No. All three belonged to gangs. Zelaya-Sorto and Ortiz pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon. The massacre has also sparked ongoing discussions, both in Brazil and internationally about Brazil's prison system. Later that afternoon, Wall arrived at the Lanesboro parking lot, according to a prison document. In October, the prisons top administrator, David Mitchell, was injured after he was stabbed in the neck by an inmate wielding a plastic shank. It was me who was supposed to die that day.. Officers said excessive overtime work can leave them burned out and exhausted. Bridges said that, in her opinion, Walls meeting with the Latino gang members was connected in some way with the subsequent fight. Zelaya-Sorto did reply to the Observer, but wrote only: Este caso esta serado This case is closed.. He said I could face an EEO (Equal Employment Opportunity) complaint for making false accusations.. From a common area, Cook can see Zelaya-Sorto and Ortiz the prisoners who have just met with Wall. Corrections officers recovered another improvised weapon at the scene a sharpened metal plate, which may have come from a prison door. - 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. Cook is unarmed. Its clearly not a place where theyre learning to go the straight and narrow, he said. English said he had gathered evidence about another prison sergeant who worked for Wall and who he suspected was bringing drugs into the prison. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. If you go down to the local high school, you would see a way more controlled atmosphere than you saw in this video.. The inmate was identified as 35-year-old Wesley Turner in a news release from N.C . He sued and won a $10,000 settlement from the state. [13] Although not entirely certain, his death was likely the result of his role in the massacre. Contact an Observer reporter: Ames Alexander | 704-358-5060 | aalexander@charlotteobserver.com, Gavin Off | 704-358-6038 | goff@charlotteobserver.com. Turner, 35, had also been serving time for second-degree murder and was scheduled for release in 2017. About 60 inmates were also near Callahan when she was attacked on April 26, Jernigan said. Jurors deliberated for about half an hour before convicting Mikel. In 2012, an inmate at Lanesboro Correctional Institution was killed during a gang fight. Tony Underwood, who headed the Charlotte areas SBI office at the time, said hes still troubled by what investigators learned about Walls relationship with inmates. The fatal fight broke out roughly five minutes after the inmates left the office. That explanation didnt make sense to Bridges. 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. But if another staff member had been standing beside the officer that morning, "there's a possibility (Mosley) would have kept walking," McCoy said. 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. Forensic tests did not tie any of the shanks in Walls ceiling to the attacks on Turner, according to Bridges, the SBI agent. Official websites use .gov In my opinion, it didnt seem logical to hide them in the ceiling, she said. CHARLOTTE, N.C. 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. Our site does not feature every educational option available on the market. They are now suing the facility.
Inmates indicted on murder charges for death and injury of fellow inmates Guards allegedly opened In interviews with investigators, officer Kearry Hinson said he picked up one of the weapons used in the fight and gave it to Wall. Turner walks over to Cook and they stand shoulder to shoulder, braced for an attack. In January, police and prosecutors teamed up with the prisons new administrator, John Herring, to begin criminally charging inmates caught with weapons. Another direct result of the riot and the handling of the riot was the unification of prisoners. 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 Turner has come to defend Cook, his friend. 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. 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. Seconds later, Ortiz grabs a shank from his waistband and also begins slashing Cook. Heres how SBI officials say the early afternoon fight unfolded: Shortly before the attack, two of the convicted inmates visited the office of an assistant unit manager.