In January, police and prosecutors teamed up with the prisons new administrator, John Herring, to begin criminally charging inmates caught with weapons. Updated: 4:34 PM EST November 9, 2012. Inmates indicted on murder charges for death and injury of fellow inmates They assert that releasing the videos could jeopardize prison security. 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. His friend may be next. Alex Murdaugh sentenced to life in prison for murders of wife, son in June 2021. Strong of the FBIs Charlotte Field Office, joins U.S. Attorney Murray in making the announcement. September 2016 - Inmates stabbed a sergeant and a lieutenant at the prison, and hit two other officers with a broom handle. 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. Leandro Lo, a legendary jiu-jitsu fighter, was killed in Brazil, according to MMA Junkie.He was 33 years old. Inmates sue staff of Lanesboro Correctional - WBTV News At other prisons of comparable size, officers told the Observer, it's common for about 50 or 60 officers to work the day shift. Lanesboro Correctional Institution - PrisonPro DPS names three new prison administrators | NC DPS September 29, 2016 / 6:08 PM Correctional officers were also prohibited from accepting gifts from inmates, performing favors for inmates, or providing inmates with narcotic drugs or any other item forbidden by LCI rules. If the officer knew an assault was going to take place, would he have opened the door? Bridges asked. The N.C. Department of Public Safety has declined the Observers requests for copies of the video, citing ongoing investigative reviews.. Bertie isn't the only state prison with staffing problems. 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. The state has changed the prisons leadership several times in recent years. McCoy heard the officer curse and saw her struggling with an inmate. NC prison officials asked for inmates' silence after killing - Corrections1 "We've got a lot of folks who are not staying with us.". The Observer repeatedly tried to reach Wall to discuss the Turner murder and the lawsuit allegations. 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. Prison surveillance video doesnt capture that meeting, so its unclear what they discussed. The three wait outside Cooks cell block for more than a minute. A spokesman for the N.C. Department of Corrections says two inmates were taken to the hospital. Wesley Turner, a former inmate at Lanesboro Correctional Institution, was stabbed to death in a 2012 prison fight. "It's not safe," McCoy said. [20] In April 2014, 15 additional policemen were sentenced to 48 years. 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. New documents, interviews and a lawsuit paint a picture of a place where some officers seemed to collaborate with gang-affiliated inmates and gave them free rein to roam. Jurors deliberated for about half an hour before convicting Mikel. 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. Often, exhausted prison officers fall asleep on the job, too. The massacre has also sparked ongoing discussions, both in Brazil and internationally about Brazil's prison system. Investigators and lawyers believe a prison manager knew the attack was coming. [24] Consequently, the prosecutor is initiating an appeal and the process remains ongoing. Both are members of the Folk Nation. 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. Wilburn English, a prison sergeant who previously worked at Lanesboro, recalled a day when Parsons and Wall came to talk with him. Parsons testified that it was easy for inmates to make weapons, from broom handles, batteries and even toothbrushes. The first to enter is Julio Zelaya-Sorto, convicted of shooting and killing a man at a Greensboro nightclub. Officers said excessive overtime work can leave them burned out and exhausted. Officers sprint in behind Wall, cornering the three attackers. Press TV on Twitter: "RT @PresstvExtra: At least 40 people have been 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. At the time, she was responding to a fire that had been set inside the. In 2014, a Lanesboro officer was paid $29,800 but made another $35,600 in overtime. Ortiz was sentenced to 37 to 57 months. He ran over and subdued the prisoner. 34/00, Case No. 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. - 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. [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". 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. Bridges said she hasnt watched all of the DVDs found in Walls ceiling, but has turned them over to the FBI. One of those shanks was stained, possibly from blood, Bridges said. 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. If you go down to the local high school, you would see a way more controlled atmosphere than you saw in this video.. ". 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. Bridges said forensic tests did not conclusively tie any of the weapons in Walls office to the attack on Turner. Although the UN urged Brazil to bring justice to those most affected by the slaughter in September 2016, the court declared the trial on Carandiru massacre null. But Harkins said the numbers provided by North Carolina suggest Bertie was "severely understaffed.". Three correctional officers were assaulted late last week at the same state prison where an officer was killed two years ago. He was found dead in his cell the following morning, a victim of coronary artery disease. "We've got to find a way to retain the people who work for us," Guice said. David Mitchell, a Harley-riding former Navy officer brought in to run the prison in 2014, was attacked three times in his first eight months once stabbed in the neck by an inmate wielding a dagger fashioned from melted plastic. All three are serving their sentences at other prisons. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. 13, 2000)", "The stories and horrors in Brazil's penal system", "Outrage: 24 Years Later, Carandiru Prison Massacre of 111 is Called Self Defense", "Police officers get 156 years for 1992 Brazilian prison massacre", "Carandiru Massacre's Defining Moment for Brazil - Fair Observer", "Brazil's prison massacres are a frightening window into gang warfare", "Brazil police jailed for prison 'massacre', "Brazil police sentenced over Carandiru jail massacre", "Brazil Carandiru jail massacre police guilty", "15 police guilty in Brazil prison killings", "UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS, Office of the High Commissioner South America", "16 Brazil declares trial on Carandiru massacre null in shocking blow for justice", "Appeal begins in Brazil against acquittal of 74 police", "Opinion | Brazil's Deadly Prison System", "Sepultura's 'Chaos A.D.' Is the Anti-Colonial Rallying Cry that Thrash has Always Needed", Federal Correctional Institution, Talladega riot, Arizona State Prison Complex Lewis riot, United States Penitentiary, Florence riot, Agricultural Penitentiary of Monte Cristo riot, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Carandiru_massacre&oldid=1140965457, People shot dead by law enforcement officers in Brazil, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing Portuguese-language text, Articles needing additional references from September 2018, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, The massacre is the subject of the song "Manifest" on the, This page was last edited on 22 February 2023, at 17:49. An officer at the gate house said Wall was upset and had a gun visible in his car, which violates prison policy. The other inmate who was injured is being treated for his injuries. Did prison guards conspire with inmates, gangs at North Carolina prison Zelaya-Sorto pulls out a shank a handmade knife from inside his jumpsuit and lunges at Cook. Peguese resigned from the system in May 2013, while he was under investigation, said Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Pamela Walker. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. POLKTON, N.C. -- Authorities in North Carolina say two supervisors were stabbed and two correctional officers were assaulted with a broom handle in an attackat a state prison. As alleged in the indictment, as a correctional officer, Blythers duties included the supervision of inmates, and ensuring safe, secure and orderly prison operations. This morning, Turner had warned Cook that Latino gang members planned to create trouble between the Bloods and the Folks. Our theory is that, at best, the corrections officers knew (the attack) was going to happen and did nothing to stop it, Smith said. 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. One inmate dead, another injured in prison incident, 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. 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. 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. Relatives of those killed and human rights activists have both demanded and appealed for justice. For instance, they noted, he failed to tell prison officers after his attacker assaulted him the first time. Prison inmate Mikel Brady guilty of killing 4 prison workers And we don't have enough staff to fight back.". 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. Cook said he met him in 2001, when Turner came to his aid in a fight against correctional officers. Subsequent searches found numerous cellphones, improvised weapons and marijuana. Contact an Observer reporter: Ames Alexander | 704-358-5060 | aalexander@charlotteobserver.com, Gavin Off | 704-358-6038 | goff@charlotteobserver.com. 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. Prison video shows Wall making a keep your mouth shut gesture stretching his arms wide and then folding them so his hands covered his mouth to the office where Vazquez had been taken, Roberts and Smith said. Hes a rookie at Lanesboro who is new to that job, still learning who to let in and who to keep out. 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. Have a question about Government Services? The inmate who spent time with Wall Joseph Sanderlin was involved in at least two attacks at Lanesboro, Wynns attorneys say. RT @PresstvExtra: At least 40 people have been killed in flooding and landslides in Brazil's So Paulo state, officials say. [2] The conflict consisted of 2,069 prisoners against 15 guards, resulting in the guards quickly losing control of the prisoners. Suite 1650 Main Office: As soon as the inmates entered D pod, Ortiz and Sorto attacked Cook, surveillance video shows. Officials: Lanesboro guard smuggled heroin for inmate Cook is unarmed. [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 two inmates meet in the office with Wall, other administrators and members of the United Blood Nation gang, off and on, for 17 minutes. An investigation by The Charlotte Observer found that state prison policies and management failures allow corruption to thrive. Cary man becomes 27th North Carolinian charged in Capitol riot. She and her colleagues in the Charlotte SBI office were frequently called to investigate crimes there, including officers charged with bringing drugs to inmates. Seconds later, Ortiz grabs a shank from his waistband and also begins slashing Cook. Dawe, whose group shares research to help correctional officers, said that prison leaders who operate without sufficient staff "roll the dice with people's lives.". He was scheduled to stay in jail until 2017. The incident was reported around 1:30 p.m. at the Lanesboro Correctional Institution in Polkton. This sprawling complex of concrete and barbed wire in Anson County holds 1,800 inmates, including more than 350 men convicted of murder and 150 convicted of rape. 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. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. In 2014, a Lanesboro officer was paid $29,800 but made another $35,600 in overtime. Wynn, who is serving a life sentence following a 2008 murder conviction, was permanently disabled after one of the attacks, his lawyers say. In a cell block inside one of the states most dangerous prisons, an inmate stabs a rival gang member over and over, 13 times. Said Gary Harkins, former research and information director for ACOIN: "People can get killed when you don't have enough staff. A prison with 1,000 inmates should have a total of at least 300 to 350 officers, he said. Wall said he put the shanks in the ceiling because he couldnt lock his desk drawer or file cabinet, his dismissal letter states. Staff researcher Maria David and editor Rogelio Aranda contributed. Hands among the dead were found in front of the face or behind the head suggesting defensive positions. North Carolina Correctional Officer Killed in Front of Home About 45 miles from Charlotte, just beyond a grove of trees, Lanesboro Correctional Institution houses some of the states most violent criminals. Many of the large maximum-security prisons such as Bertie and Lanesboro are located in rural areas, where recruiting can be difficult. 11.291 (IACmHR, Apr. 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. 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. The father of two was shot and killed in front of his Charlotte, North Carolina home, and police are currently investigating whether or not the murder was somehow connected to his profession or incidences which may have occurred in the correctional facility where he is employed. 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. Turner, 35, a convicted murderer nicknamed Thug Life, has served most of his 21-year prison sentence. John Sapper is appointed as the new administrator at Bertie Correctional Institution in Windsor. For months, Bridges tried to make sense of what she saw at the murder scene and on surveillance video. They contended those numbers constitute "sensitive public security information.". At Lanesboro, 45 miles southeast of Charlotte, it was common for 42 officers to watch about 1,200 prisoners on the night shift, according to Gregory McCoy, who worked there as a correctional officer from 2009 to 2016. Statewide, about 16 percent of officer positions are vacant. Shortly after 3 p.m., almost three hours after the attack, correctional officers lead Vazquez into a nurses office. Bridges also questioned why Wall met with two gang members minutes before they attacked Cook. The state says the prison was on lockdown while they investigated the incident. Contact SAP - Penitentiary Administration of So - corrections.direct He would not discuss the lawsuit or his testimony with an Observer reporter. Then he counted the rings, Is red tide present at your favorite Florida beach? Just out of view, in the lower right-hand corner of the video, a second fight erupts. Some family members believe that the murder may have been . Human rights groups such as Human Rights Watch have also documented statistics of police violence and acquittals in Brazil. [5] The prisoners were stripped, locked in their cells and shot. 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. Prisoners were reported attacking each other with knives and pipes. The Killing Consensus: Homicide Detectives, Police that Kill and Organized Crime in Sio Paulo, Brazil. Soon afterward, Vazquez attacked and killed Turner. Lo's lawyer confirmed to Brazilian news outlet G1 on Sunday that Lo was killed Saturday at a concert in So Paulo. "All it would take is for five or ten guys to decide we're going to take over the prison. Had there been more, he said, one female officer might never have been assaulted. They are joined by a third Latino gang member, Gregorio Vazquez, who is in prison for second-degree murder. ANSONCOUNTY, N.C. -- A N.C. inmate has filed a federal lawsuit alleging that corrections officers at an Anson County prison cracked his skull with a baton . In a recorded phone conversation, Hunt told a friend she knew a bunch of corrupt officers, according to an FBI affidavit. Attorneys for the state quizzed Wynn why he didnt take steps that might have allowed him to avoid the attack. 4 correctional officers assaulted at North Carolina prison (Parsons) told me I couldnt say anything about another sergeant bringing in marijuana, Wilburn testified. Officers said excessive overtime work can leave them burned out and exhausted. 111 Killed When Police Storm Brazilian Prison During Inmate Riot. The New York Times. The disclosures raise new questions about the role that corrections officers have played in violence at the high-security prison in Anson County. Zelaya-Sorto did reply to the Observer, but wrote only: Este caso esta serado This case is closed.. Meggan Callahan was killed by an inmate at Bertie Correctional Institution Wednesday evening. Leandro Lo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Star, Killed in So Paulo - Sports Prison leaders plan to examine many factors, including staffing patterns, Guice said. 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. 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.. February 2017 - Former officer Evangeline Hunt was charged with smuggling in drugs and other contraband for inmates. Turner, 35, had also been serving time for second-degree murder and was scheduled for release in 2017. But after investigating for more than a year, the SBI closed the case. He sued and won a $10,000 settlement from the state. Attorneys for Vazquez said their client never told them what led to the fight. The winner, from Charlotte, took her prize as a $600,000 lump sum, officials said. No, I dont think he would have.. Prisons to weaken correctional officer vetting, critics says At a pre-disciplinary conference, Wall told prison officials he was planning to put the shanks in a display case that would be used to train new staff members. Inmates often hid contraband in body cavities, Parsons said. Officers and staff have orchestrated illegal smuggling operations, beaten shackled inmates and engaged in sex with prisoners. 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. Ortiz later told investigators his weapon was a plastic toilet bowl cleaner with a sharpened end. 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. Its also unclear where Zelays-Sorto and Ortiz go immediately after the meeting breaks up. One of those officers fell and hurt her knee when she went to Callahan's defense, Jernigan said. Other prisoners were killed by police dogs. The officer said Wall asked her to go into his old office and retrieve a bag of shanks from the ceiling. Officers and prisoners say he had a reputation for doing favors for gang members. 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.. 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. 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. A lock ( 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.. Polkton Police Chief Matthew Norris said he recovered the one shank in Walls desk drawer soon after the 2012 fight. Driver arrested after video shows him nearly hitting students at their school bus stop. 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. Id like to see the truth be told about what really does go on in here.. U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of North Carolina, FBI Arrests Corrections Officer For Smuggling A Controlled Substance At Lanesboro Correctional Institution, Former Catawba County Director Of Utilities Is Sentenced To Prison For Accepting Bribes, Former Catawba County Director Of Utilities Pleads Guilty To Wire Fraud Conspiracy For Accepting Bribes, North Carolina State Legislator Pleads Guilty To Making A False Statement To A Bank. Then he covers his mouth. Other prison staff members showed him where it was, he said. 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. He was sentenced to 32 to 48 months. The slain officer, Bias Easley, worked at the Lanesboro Correctional Institute, which is located near Wadesboro. Asheville:(828) 271-4661. Wall, now 45, wouldnt talk to the Observer. 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. Turner, 35, had also been serving time for second-degree murder and was scheduled for release in 2017. 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.
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