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[2] The conflict consisted of 2,069 prisoners against 15 guards, resulting in the guards quickly losing control of the prisoners. Vazquez, 32, had already been serving an eight- to 10-year sentence for second-degree murder. He stretches his arms wide above his head, then lowers them and covers his mouth with both hands. Cook suffered lacerations and puncture wounds. 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. "If inmates wanted to jump another inmate or take somebody out that day, that would be the time to do it when you're understaffed. The letter also stated that Wall intentionally tried to conceal contraband that might have been used for pending criminal charges or an internal investigation. 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. 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. Five years after the murder, Lanesboros problems continue. 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.. Later that afternoon, Wall arrived at the Lanesboro parking lot, according to a prison document. The. Its also unclear where Zelays-Sorto and Ortiz go immediately after the meeting breaks up. Meggan Callahan was killed by an inmate at Bertie Correctional Institution Wednesday evening. For almost two years, an Observer reporter exchanged letters with inmate Christopher Cook, who described what led to the attack that killed Turner. In 2014, a Lanesboro officer was paid $29,800 but made another $35,600 in overtime. It's unclear whether better staffing would have saved Callahan's life. / CBS/AP. At 11:49 a.m., less than half an hour before the fatal fight begins, Wall walks into an office with an inmate. It did not appear to be a normal prison relationship that a correctional officer should have with inmates, Underwood said. Some facts related to events surrounding the murder of inmate Wesley Turner are drawn from prison surveillance video obtained by the Observer. That explanation didnt make sense to Bridges. Prison officials refused to open Cooks cell door so that investigators could get a DNA sample, Bridges said. Willis, G. D. (2002). The state has recently made offers to about 400 officer candidates, so the vacancy rate will likely drop, Guice said. September 2012 - The stabbing death of inmate Wesley Turner spurred an SBI investigation and led to three felony convictions. In court documents, Parsons has denied that. Officers found Dwyer dead at 10:15. By Ames Alexander - aalexander@charlotteobserver.com. Walls testimony was brief and he did not elaborate on the hidden weapons. RT @PresstvExtra: At least 40 people have been killed in flooding and landslides in Brazil's So Paulo state, officials say. Forensic tests did not tie any of the shanks in Walls ceiling to the attacks on Turner, according to Bridges, the SBI agent. Often, observers say, officers let inmates visit and congregate in administrative offices. In such situations inmates will sometimes send associates to threaten the officers, or even assault them. Bridges said she doesnt believe that. WINDSOR, NC (Ames Alexander and Gavin Off/The Charlotte Observer) - Bertie Correctional Institution was understaffed the month that Sgt. Another prisoner also slips through the door. 1992 military police killing of prisoners in Brazil, Act in memoriam of 111 prisoners dead in the incident. 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. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. It was me who was supposed to die that day.. Two state investigators said they reached the same opinion. Investigators and lawyers believe a prison manager knew the attack was coming. 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. Main Office: This morning, Turner had warned Cook that Latino gang members planned to create trouble between the Bloods and the Folks. In a court filing, he said he never facilitated attacks. Peguese resigned from the system in May 2013, while he was under investigation, said Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Pamela Walker. Asked to explain the shanks in his ceiling, Wall told his bosses he was planning to put them in a display case to train new staff members. 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. Cook said he met him in 2001, when Turner came to his aid in a fight against correctional officers. The LCI housed medium and close-security inmates and was one of the states largest prisons. He got the nickname Ghost Face as the only white kid hanging out in a Durham housing project. Parsons declined to talk with the Observer about that and other allegations. Surveillance video shows two of the attackers meeting with a unit manager shortly before the attack.. A prison officer and two inmates were injured during a fight at Lanesboro Correctional Institution Thursday morning, state prison officials said. Four correctional officers at a North Carolina prison were hospitalized Thursday after they were stabbed by several inmates, officials said. Its the few who dont who make problems for everybody.. Roberts said that if prison is supposed to be a place where inmates learn to live law-abiding lives, Lanesboro appears to be falling short. Theyre within feet of an officer who controls the locked door to the block. Soon afterward, the suspects were escorted into offices where they received medical treatment. [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. In a cell block inside one of the states most dangerous prisons, an inmate stabs a rival gang member over and over, 13 times. 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. Department spokesman Keith Acree said the two are being treated for their injuries at local hospitals. Bridges said forensic tests did not conclusively tie any of the weapons in Walls office to the attack on Turner. Several days after the incident police still had not arrested a suspect or determined a motive for the murder. 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. Wynn said he did not want to be branded as a prison snitch, a label that can get inmates hurt. Hes a manager at Lanesboro Correctional Institution. 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. Turner, 35, had also been serving time for second-degree murder and was scheduled for release in 2017. For months, Bridges tried to make sense of what she saw at the murder scene and on surveillance video. Some correctional officers have more than doubled their income by working overtime. 227 West Trade St. In an 11-week period in early 2016, more than 15 staff members left Lanesboro under suspicion of wrongdoing, Mitchell said. Lanesboro Correctional Institution is a state men's prison in Polkton, North Carolina, first opened in January, 2004 and operated by the North Carolina Department of Public Safety Adult Corrections.As one of the state's four largest prisons, the official capacity is 1,800 prisoners. He also said he had not kept a gun in plain view inside his car, contrary to what a corrections officer had reported. Wynn alleges that another inmate stabbed him in the chest with a weapon resembling a filet knife, then threw a chair at him. Have a question about Government Services? 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. He sued and won a $10,000 settlement from the state. 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. The facility was a detention center, not a penitentiary, meaning that the inmates had not yet been tried or convicted. To investigators and the killers lawyers, his meaning seemed clear: Keep your mouth shut. And they say pay increases approved by the legislature in 2015 will also help with recruiting. Wynn, who is serving a life sentence following a 2008 murder conviction, was permanently disabled after one of the attacks, his lawyers say. Searches found numerous cellphones, improvised weapons and marijuana. The incident was reported around1:30 p.m. at theLanesboro Correctional Institution in Polkton. Bertie now houses about 935 inmates. The state says the prison was on lockdown while they investigated the incident. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Since the beginning of 2016, more than 30 stabbings occurred. I didnt have enough cooperation to connect the dots, she said. 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. He died helping me, Cook wrote in a letter to the Observer. What happened to (the shanks)? asked SBI agent Audria Bridges, who led the investigation into Turners murder. Polkton Police Chief Matthew Norris said he recovered the one shank in Walls desk drawer soon after the 2012 fight. All charges in the indictment are allegations. Cary man becomes 27th North Carolinian charged in Capitol riot. The officer opens the door for an inmate, and the three gang members follow him into a cell block where they dont belong. [7], The country was in major shock from the massacre. But, Cook said, Turner usually kept to himself. in Criminal Justice - Corrections, and M.S. in Criminal Justice: Law Enforcement, A.S. in Criminal Justice, B.S. 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. If Cooks DNA had turned up on any of the shanks in Walls office, that could have helped tie them to the attack. 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. The current capacity of Lanesboro Correctional Institution is 1,400 adult male inmates. Another was criminally charged with bringing heroin to a prisoner. 34/00, Case No. A prison with 1,000 inmates should have a total of at least 300 to 350 officers, he said. She earned an extra $36,500 in overtime that year, records show. By Ames Alexander, Gavin Off and Elizabeth Leland. [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". Follow Press TV on Telegram: http://t.me . Both are members of the Folk Nation. Leandro Lo, a legendary jiu-jitsu fighter, was killed in Brazil, according to MMA Junkie.He was 33 years old. They assert that releasing the videos could jeopardize prison security. Friends and family described Juan Ortiz-Castillo as very jealous of his wife, according to police. 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. Asheville:(828) 271-4661. Bridges and a prison captain searched the ceiling and found videos of prison fights, nine rods, a long metal shank and three bloody shanks. 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. He said the injuries he suffered in the 2011 attack have made it impossible for him to lift much weight above his head or work some prison jobs. Vazquez repeatedly stabs Turner with a shank. The state Department of Public Safety says an inmate at Bertie. State prison leaders say they are holding many hiring events and partnering with schools and military bases to fill jobs. [13] Although not entirely certain, his death was likely the result of his role in the massacre. Prosecutors later dismissed the charge because of problems with the credibility of witnesses. 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. Channel 9 has investigated Lanesboro, a maximum-security prison, for years. Ortiz is scheduled to get out in 2019. Multiple attempts to reach Wall and Peguese including visits to their last known addresses in Anson County were unsuccessful. He said hes haunted by Turners murder and has branded the letters of his best friends nickname into his right side. Most (of the prisons officers) are good, hard-working folks, said Underwood, the SBI supervisor. 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. 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. December 2010 - Thirteen inmates assaulted staff members in various attacks, state records show. To cope with the shortages, many prisons have also paid hundreds of thousands each year for overtime. He did not respond. They are joined by a third Latino gang member, Gregorio Vazquez, who is in prison for second-degree murder. February 2017 - Former officer Evangeline Hunt was charged with smuggling in drugs and other contraband for inmates. The massacre, which left 111 prisoners dead, is considered by many people to be a major human rights violation. All three of the Latino inmates had sharp weapons. 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. He was scheduled to stay in jail until 2017. 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. The pay is low an average of the about $35,000 annually at maximum-security prisons and the work is dangerous and demanding. 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. Wall is the first staff member to arrive. Heres a look at incidents at Lanesboro Correctional Institution since its opening in 2004: January 2009 - Inmate Bill Rayburn alleged he was repeatedly pepper-sprayed by correctional officers twice while he was naked after he requested medical help. In 2012, an inmate at Lanesboro Correctional Institution was killed during a gang fight. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. "It's not safe," McCoy said. At least 12 dead after winter storm slams South, Midwest, The Saturday Six: Dental device controversy, scientist's bug find and more, Indonesia fuel depot fire kills 18; more than a dozen missing, 3 children killed, 2 others wounded at Texas home, Man charged for alleged involvement in 2 transformer explosions, Nikki Haley slams potential GOP contenders, and Trump and George W. Bush, Duo of 81-year-old women plan to see the world in 80 days, Tom Sizemore, actor known for "Saving Private Ryan" and "Heat," dies at 61, Alex Murdaugh trial: What to know about the double murder case, Colombia wants to deport "cocaine hippos" to stop them from multiplying, Alex Murdaugh found guilty of murders of wife and son. Its time, Cook wrote, to expose why Turner died. One prisoner alleges that Wall ran a violent, contraband-driven fiefdom.. [18] Drive down U.S. 74 toward the beach and you may not realize its there. Updated: 4:34 PM EST November 9, 2012. Prison officials considered that a clear threat to staff. And we don't have enough staff to fight back.". CHARLOTTE 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 represented one of the suspects said. There are no national standards for minimum staffing at prisons, experts say. Attorneys for Vazquez said their client never told them what led to the fight. Inmates often hid contraband in body cavities, Parsons said. Human rights groups such as Human Rights Watch have also documented statistics of police violence and acquittals in Brazil. 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. The three wait outside Cooks cell block for more than a minute. 11.291 (IACmHR, Apr. The facility houses medium- and close-security inmates. Meggan Callahan was killed there allegedly by an inmate who beat her to death with a fire extinguisher. "You can only spread people so thin," she said. 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 . The inmate who spent time with Wall Joseph Sanderlin was involved in at least two attacks at Lanesboro, Wynns attorneys say. 111 Killed When Police Storm Brazilian Prison During Inmate Riot. The New York Times. The state has changed the prisons leadership several times in recent years. Located in Polkton, about 45 miles east of Charlotte, Lanesboro has repeatedly drawn. The winner, from Charlotte, took her prize as a $600,000 lump sum, officials said. But only one shank was recovered. One of those officers fell and hurt her knee when she went to Callahan's defense, Jernigan said. The massacre also received attention from the BBC with several articles in the last several years dealing with the vigils and the trials. In a court filing, Wall denied the federal lawsuit claims, saying he never facilitated attacks or gave gang members preferential treatment. 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. A veteran SC attorney weighs in, Alex Murdaugh murder trial jury begins deliberations same day 1 juror is removed. research before making any education decisions. 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. He reportedly belonged to Cooks gang and planned to go to his defense. A correctional officer in the state of North Carolina was recently murdered, just one month before his wedding. Often, exhausted prison officers fall asleep on the job, too. Corrections officers recovered another improvised weapon at the scene a sharpened metal plate, which may have come from a prison door. The control booth officer sees the fight, picks up a radio and makes a call. 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. 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. Those officers must cover two shifts and a number of them are off, sick or on vacation at any given time so only a fraction of the total staff was likely available to work the day shift on April 26. 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. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Now comes the gesture. B.S. Some family members believe that the murder may have been . 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 of the convicted inmates have been transferred to other state prisons. Palmetto man sentenced to life in prison after stabbing wife to death, faking intruder, He found a clam on a Florida beach to make some chowder. 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. He said he based his suspicions on information from inmate informants and prison surveillance video. 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. 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. Official websites use .gov Polkton is 45 miles southeast of Charlotte. The prison has a staff complement of 403 employees including correctional officers, administrators, food service, medical, dental and maintenance workers. 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. Turner, 35, had also been serving time for second-degree murder and was scheduled for release in 2017. 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. But if another staff member had been standing beside the officer that morning, "there's a possibility (Mosley) would have kept walking," McCoy said. "I think if I hadn't gotten over there in time, (Mosley) probably would have cut her throat," McCoy 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. Had there been more, he said, one female officer might never have been assaulted. Acree said thetwo correctional officersassaulted with a broom handlewere treated by prison medical staff. Zelaya-Sorto and Ortiz pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon. An officer at the gate house said Wall was upset and had a gun visible in his car, which violates prison policy. At the time, she was responding to a fire that had been set inside the. Prisoners were reported attacking each other with knives and pipes. Just out of view, in the lower right-hand corner of the video, a second fight erupts. MMA Junkie says that police officer Henrique Otavio Oliveira Velozo is a suspect. Then he counted the rings, Is red tide present at your favorite Florida beach? Statewide, about 16 percent of officer positions are vacant. 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. 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. 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. Authorities believe all three of the convicted inmates had homemade knives, commonly known as shanks. But Vazquez stabbed and killed Turner using another improvised weapon, a sharpened metal plate. 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. Shortly after 3 p.m., almost three hours after the attack, correctional officers lead Vazquez into a nurses office. Corrections officers flocked to the scene after the stabbings, but only one shank was recovered. Jurors deliberated for about half an hour before convicting Mikel. At Bertie, Callahan was responding to a fire set inside a trash can on the evening of April 26 when an inmate beat her to death with the fire extinguisher she'd brought to douse the flames, state officials say. [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]. At least eight Lanesboro officers were caught bringing in drugs, cellphones and tobacco from early 2013 to early 2017, according to law enforcement records. A female officer told Bridges that Wall just called looking for help. Other former Lanesboro inmates also say that corrections officers have made a dangerous environment more so. Reach reporter Imari Scarbrough at 704-994-5471 and follow her on Twitter @ImariScarbrough. Three weeks later, Wall was fired. Roy Cooper has asked him to review the circumstances "to ensure this doesn't happen again.". Ten months later, significant amounts of contraband including video recordings and three bloody shanks were found in the ceiling above Walls office, according to his dismissal letter. 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. Bridges said she reviewed hours of surveillance video and saw that inmates frequently visited the office of an assistant prison manager a practice that she believed posed a danger to officers. 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. [16] The group is believed to be responsible for the death of Jos Ismael Pedrosa, the director of the prison at the time. None of the officers convicted have served their sentences. Zelaya-Sorto pulls out a shank a handmade knife from inside his jumpsuit and lunges at Cook. Combined, theyve been cited for dozens of offenses while in prison, including weapon possession, fighting and assault. McCoy heard the officer curse and saw her struggling with an inmate. Bridges, 46, a North Carolina State graduate and former Concord police officer, was familiar with Lanesboro. Designed to hold 1,400 inmates, the prison has a staff of about 500. If the officer knew an assault was going to take place, would he have opened the door? Bridges asked. 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. Strong of the FBIs Charlotte Field Office, joins U.S. Attorney Murray in making the announcement. 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.