Hes a rookie at Lanesboro who is new to that job, still learning who to let in and who to keep out. On the video, Cook, 41, is the tall inmate gesturing to other prisoners. 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. Did prison guards conspire with inmates, gangs at North Carolina prison But local law enforcement officials are optimistic about changes at Lanesboro. Prison officials considered that a clear threat to staff. Our theory is that, at best, the corrections officers knew (the attack) was going to happen and did nothing to stop it, Smith said. [20] In April 2014, 15 additional policemen were sentenced to 48 years. Alex Murdaugh sentenced to life in prison for murders of wife, son in June 2021. 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. FBI Arrests Corrections Officer For Smuggling A Controlled Substance At If Cooks DNA had turned up on any of the shanks in Walls office, that could have helped tie them to the attack. He was not asked to explain why. / CBS/AP. Bertie isn't the only state prison with staffing problems. Here are his plans. 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. In 2014, a Lanesboro officer was paid $29,800 but made another $35,600 in overtime. This morning, Turner had warned Cook that Latino gang members planned to create trouble between the Bloods and the Folks. 2016 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. They contended those numbers constitute "sensitive public security information.". Please enter valid email address to continue. That works out to about one officer for every 29 inmates. Lock But after investigating for more than a year, the SBI closed the case. Main Office: Lawsuit: Prison guards deleted beating video | wcnc.com One prisoner alleges that Wall ran a violent, contraband-driven fiefdom.. The North Carolina . Driver arrested after video shows him nearly hitting students at their school bus stop. NC prison officials asked for inmates' silence after Lanesboro killing 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. In a recorded phone conversation, Hunt told a friend she knew a bunch of corrupt officers, according to an FBI affidavit. Police are asking anyone with information related to the Easley murder to contact them immediately. 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. Others believe that it was somehow connected to his job. [1], The incident was started by a prisoner revolt. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. He was scheduled to stay in jail until 2017. In 2014, a Lanesboro officer was paid $29,800 but made another $35,600 in overtime. Prison officials refused to open Cooks cell door so that investigators could get a DNA sample, Bridges said. Prison surveillance video doesnt capture that meeting, so its unclear what they discussed. 1 inmate dead after incident at correctional center - WSOC TV Hands among the dead were found in front of the face or behind the head suggesting defensive positions. 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. Officers said excessive overtime work can leave them burned out and exhausted. 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. [15] The surviving gang members joined forces with other prisoners to provide protection against the police. All three belonged to gangs. The five men say they filed the lawsuit because of their time at Lanesboro Correctional Institution. The massacre has also sparked ongoing discussions, both in Brazil and internationally about Brazil's prison system. He had 43. Channel 9 has investigated Lanesboro, a maximum-security prison, for years. In interviews with investigators, officer Kearry Hinson said he picked up one of the weapons used in the fight and gave it to Wall. She earned an extra $36,500 in overtime that year, records show. - 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. Bridges said she doesnt buy that explanation. State figures show that in April, when Callahan died, roughly one of every five correctional officer positions at the eastern North Carolina prison was vacant. Attorneys for the state quizzed Wynn why he didnt take steps that might have allowed him to avoid the attack. An investigation by The Charlotte Observer last year found that state prison policies and management failures allow corruption and violence to thrive. Meggan Callahan was killed by an inmate at Bertie Correctional Institution Wednesday evening. One Polk officer made $29,800 in salary in 2015. A female officer told Bridges that Wall just called looking for help. 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. Experts said that better staffing at the prison likely would have meant more eyes and ears on what inmates were doing, faster response times and more officers on the scene. The state has changed the prisons leadership several times in recent years. October 2016 - Former correctional officer Scarlette Hodges pleaded guilty to smuggling drugs, tobacco and other contraband to at least one inmate. In a court filing, he said he never facilitated attacks. The first to enter is Julio Zelaya-Sorto, convicted of shooting and killing a man at a Greensboro nightclub. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. [21] To investigators and the killers lawyers, his meaning seems clear: The man making that gesture isnt another inmate. [8], In April 2013, 23 policemen involved in the massacre were sentenced to 156 years in prison each for the killing of 13 inmates. Charlotte, NC 28202, Charlotte: (704) 344-6222 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. Three officers assaulted at Bertie Correctional Institution - WITN That was one of three times inmates attacked Mitchell. Hours after the murder, video also shows Wall gesturing to the killer. Inmate Donny Mosley, who is serving time for second-degree murder and robbery with a dangerous weapon, had slashed her face and neck with a razor-like weapon. Cook, the target of the 2012 attack, was released from prison in March. Lanesboro Correctional Institution houses about 1,800 inmates in close, medium and minimum custody. RALEIGH, N.C. A prison officer and two inmates were injured during a fight at Lanesboro Correctional Institution Thursday morning, state prison officials said. Another prisoner also slips through the door. Why would you keep them there, with the risk of them getting into the hands of an inmate? she asked. They assert that releasing the videos could jeopardize prison security. Finding people who are willing to work as prison officers isn't easy. Why did NC prison officer hide weapons in his office ceiling Leandro Lo, a legendary jiu-jitsu fighter, was killed in Brazil, according to MMA Junkie.He was 33 years old. 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.. In January, police and prosecutors teamed up with the prisons new administrator, John Herring, to begin criminally charging inmates caught with weapons. Alex Murdaugh sentenced to life in prison for murders of wife, son in June 2021, Get ready to change your clocks. 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. Cook is a leader of the Folk Nation, a rival gang, and he has heard rumors of escalating gang tensions. 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. One inmate warned Lanesboro prison officials that Latino gang members were armed with homemade knives and planning an attack. 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. He sued and won a $10,000 settlement from the state. The suits also contend that Wall facilitated attacks on two other inmates the same year Turner was killed. The man turns and looks directly into the room. [5] No policemen were injured. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Carandiru massacre - Wikipedia Your morale goes down," she said. A video taken inside Lanesboro in 2012 and obtained by the Observer shows Wall meeting with gang members just minutes before those inmates, armed with homemade weapons, became involved in a fight that killed inmate Wesley Turner. Thats Wall in the white shirt and tie entering the hallway on the video. "It's so dangerous," Gravitte said. October 04, 1992. SBI officials say theres no proof that happened in the Turner case. ", "The inmates literally say, 'You all are understaffed, so if we wanted to, we could overtake this prison.' 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.