In an 11-week period in early 2016, more than 15 staff members left Lanesboro under suspicion of wrongdoing, Mitchell said. Wall said he put the shanks in the ceiling because he couldnt lock his desk drawer or file cabinet, his dismissal letter states. Accessed March 29, 2018. 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.. A corrections officer opened the door that allowed the three convicted inmates into an adjacent pod. "I think if I hadn't gotten over there in time, (Mosley) probably would have cut her throat," McCoy said. Many of the large maximum-security prisons such as Bertie and Lanesboro are located in rural areas, where recruiting can be difficult. How serious Parsons was about keeping contraband out of the prison remains unclear. Inmates at this prison are kept under close watch and have committed very serious crimes. Zelaya-Sorto and Ortiz pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon. 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. All three belonged to gangs. Inside his cell block, inmate Christopher Cook expects trouble. Walls dismissal letter, obtained by The Observer, states that he had hidden bloody weapons in the ceiling of his old office. 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. 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. Wall, now 45, wouldnt talk to the Observer. The military was given full command of the prison when arriving about 2:30 P.M..[4] Though the director wanted to negotiate with the prisoners by a megaphone, he was held back by his staff since the police almost crushed him. The gashes in the officer's face and neck required 39 stitches. If (prison officials) cant answer that question, why cant they?. 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. 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. Turner reportedly belonged to the same gang as Cook and was trying to go to his defense. 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. 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. Its the few who dont who make problems for everybody.. "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. Its so dangerous that some officers begin their work days by asking those coming off the previous shift how many assaults theyve just seen. Others believe that it was somehow connected to his job. Finding people who are willing to work as prison officers isn't easy. Turner, 35, a convicted murderer nicknamed Thug Life, has served most of his 21-year prison sentence. 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. They refuse. 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. But prison officials did release the monthly figures, which show that the prison had 211 officers available to work in April. All three are serving their sentences at other prisons. 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. But Harkins said the numbers provided by North Carolina suggest Bertie was "severely understaffed.". "If you had more staff, then you might have been looking at hurt staff instead of dead staff" (on the day Callahan died), Harkins said. Bertie isn't the only state prison with staffing problems. "We've got a lot of folks who are not staying with us.". The inmate who spent time with Wall Joseph Sanderlin was involved in at least two attacks at Lanesboro, Wynns attorneys say. News anchor Fred Shropshire is leaving Charlotte station WCNC. Several days after the incident police still had not arrested a suspect or determined a motive for the murder. 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? Authorities believe all three of the convicted inmates had homemade knives, commonly known as shanks. Wesley Turner has come to defend Cook, his friend. Many listings are from partners who compensate us, which may influence which Secure .gov websites use HTTPS SBI officials say theres no proof that happened in the Turner case. It did not appear to be a normal prison relationship that a correctional officer should have with inmates, Underwood said. Bertie now houses about 935 inmates. research before making any education decisions. By Ames Alexander - aalexander@charlotteobserver.com. 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. 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. 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. Nikki Haley will be at Horry-Georgetown Technical College on March 13, a month after she launched her White House bid. The shank didnt belong there. He sued and won a $10,000 settlement from the state. Furthermore, gunshot wounds were mainly found in the face, head, throat and chest. Had there been more, he said, one female officer might never have been assaulted. And with Wall's signal after the fact, telling (Vazquez) essentially to be quiet, I don't know what other inference you can draw from it.. Why would you keep them there, with the risk of them getting into the hands of an inmate? she asked. Once in a lifetime, After years of negotiations, GOP leaders reach a breakthrough on Medicaid expansion, Alex Murdaughs attorneys say theyll appeal double-murder conviction, 16-year-old Raleigh teen charged with murder in Robeson County killing, The evidence was clear: Murdaugh juror reveals quick deliberation in SC murder trial, Day 29: Murdaugh sentenced to life, attorneys say theyll appeal to US Supreme Court if needed, What were the deciding factors in the Murdaugh guilty verdict? The three continue to cause trouble: Since Turners death, theyve been written up for about 50 infractions, including weapon possession, setting fires and assaulting staff. The three wait outside Cooks cell block for more than a minute. Relatives of those killed and human rights activists have both demanded and appealed for justice. This story was originally published December 13, 2014, 4:41 PM. 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. In 2014, a Lanesboro officer was paid $29,800 but made another $35,600 in overtime. [12] Guimares, who was also a member of the So Paulo state legislature, was assassinated in September 2006. 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.. "It's not safe," McCoy said. One Polk officer made $29,800 in salary in 2015. Polkton Police Chief Matthew Norris said he recovered the one shank in Walls desk drawer soon after the 2012 fight. Special Agent in Charge John A. 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. 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. 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. Bridges said that, in her opinion, Walls meeting with the Latino gang members was connected in some way with the subsequent fight. Meggan Callahan was killed there allegedly by an inmate who beat her to death with a fire extinguisher. He said I could face an EEO (Equal Employment Opportunity) complaint for making false accusations.. 2016 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. In such situations inmates will sometimes send associates to threaten the officers, or even assault them. In a recorded phone conversation, Hunt told a friend she knew a bunch of corrupt officers, according to an FBI affidavit. A female officer told Bridges that Wall just called looking for help. 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. - 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. He ran over and subdued the prisoner. His name has not been released. The first to enter is Julio Zelaya-Sorto, convicted of shooting and killing a man at a Greensboro nightclub. [14] 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 massacre, which left 111 prisoners dead, is considered by many people to be a major human rights violation. Cook suffered lacerations and puncture wounds. But by that time, the officer was already bleeding profusely. Inmates involved in the fight told investigators that one of the shanks was a real long knife, another resembled a razor, and the third was a plastic toilet bowl brush sharpened at one end. And we don't have enough staff to fight back.". 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. Searches found numerous cellphones, improvised weapons and marijuana. The vigil and pleas for justice led to several trials for the officers involved in the massacre that same year. The letter also stated that Wall intentionally tried to conceal contraband that might have been used for pending criminal charges or an internal investigation. Shortly after 3 p.m., almost three hours after the attack, correctional officers lead Vazquez into a nurses office. Many of those videos were labeled with the words use of force a term that describes the force used by law enforcement officers to control unruly people. Soon, the three convicted inmates all reported gang members were waiting at the door that would allow them into E pod, an adjacent unit. The inmate was always in his office, and that was kind of unusual, Covington said. Ortiz, the inmate charged in that stabbing, said 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.. Attorneys for Vazquez said their client never told them what led to the fight. "You can only spread people so thin," she said. It is a close custody facility, which is the equivalent of maximum security. In July 2013, 10 months after the attack, Bridges was at Lanesboro interviewing an inmate when she got a tip. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. A locked padlock Ortiz is scheduled to get out in 2019. [7], The country was in major shock from the massacre. Western North Carolina But while North Carolina typically hires about 1,800 to 2,000 prison officers per year, it usually loses about that many as well. The slain officer, Bias Easley, worked at the Lanesboro Correctional Institute, which is located near Wadesboro. But Vazquez stabbed and killed Turner using another improvised weapon, a sharpened metal plate. Police are asking anyone with information related to the Easley murder to contact them immediately. The facility houses medium- and close-security inmates. The staffing shortages also put officers in danger, Smith said. No prison officials have been criminally charged. You're tired. Charlotte, NC 28202, Charlotte: (704) 344-6222 Then they returned to D pod, the unit where they lived. Often, observers say, officers let inmates visit and congregate in administrative offices. I characterize the lack of supervision there as, quite frankly, shocking, Roberts said. The prison is named for the nearby community of Lanesboro. In a court filing, Wall said he never facilitated attacks. Turner, 35, had also been serving time for second-degree murder and was scheduled for release in 2017. September 29, 2016 / 6:08 PM A federal lawsuit, filed last month by five former Lanesboro inmates, alleges that corrections officers helped gang members wage attacks against other inmates. Most (of the prisons officers) are good, hard-working folks, said Underwood, the SBI supervisor. 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. We had about 7 officers overseeing about 30 inmates in a kitchen to make sure they followed the recipes.prepared and use the right utensils to serve the food. 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.. ". 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. Seconds later, Ortiz grabs a shank from his waistband and also begins slashing Cook. Strong of the FBIs Charlotte Field Office, joins U.S. Attorney Murray in making the announcement. The confrontation began at about 8:30 a.m., when an inmate assaulted another inmate at . The North Carolina . Roberts, one of Vazquezs attorneys, said he was surprised to see how freely inmates at Lanesboro were allowed to roam the prison. WINDSOR, NC (Ames Alexander and Gavin Off/The Charlotte Observer) - Bertie Correctional Institution was understaffed the month that Sgt. This story was originally published December 4, 2014, 6:58 PM. [20] In April 2014, 15 additional policemen were sentenced to 48 years. Experts say such corruption jeopardizes prison workers, wastes taxpayer dollars and endangers the public. 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. 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. If the officer knew an assault was going to take place, would he have opened the door? Bridges asked. For almost two years, an Observer reporter exchanged letters with inmate Christopher Cook, who described what led to the attack that killed Turner. Another direct result of the riot and the handling of the riot was the unification of prisoners. Dustin Bettis, a former inmate who did time in Lanesboro, told the Observer he saw Wall give a pocket knife to one inmate and a cellphone to another. Prison officials investigated the murder, but refused to provide the Observer their report. Inmates often hid contraband in body cavities, Parsons said. There are no national standards for minimum staffing at prisons, experts say. 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. State prison leaders say they are holding many hiring events and partnering with schools and military bases to fill jobs. Wall is the first staff member to arrive. The suits also contend that Wall facilitated attacks on two other inmates the same year Turner was killed. [24] Consequently, the prosecutor is initiating an appeal and the process remains ongoing. 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. Peguese resigned from the system in May 2013, while he was under investigation, said Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Pamela Walker. September 2016 - Inmates stabbed a sergeant and a lieutenant at the prison, and hit two other officers with a broom handle. 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. It's unclear whether better staffing would have saved Callahan's life. A North Carolina inmate was found guilty Monday of murdering four prison workers during a failed escape attempt two years ago. Two state investigators said they reached the same opinion. A lock ( 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. The FBI investigated the case. November 2013 - A gang member cut a correctional officer three times on the neck and face, requiring 39 stitches, according to a police report. 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. 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. Officers said excessive overtime work can leave them burned out and exhausted. At least eight Lanesboro officers were caught bringing in drugs, cellphones and tobacco from early 2013 to early 2017, according to law enforcement records. He did not respond. Later that afternoon, Wall arrived at the Lanesboro parking lot, according to a prison document. About 60 inmates were also near Callahan when she was attacked on April 26, Jernigan said. Why fans love it. 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