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. Soon afterward, a corrections officer allowed the inmates into the pod where the murder took place. [15] The surviving gang members joined forces with other prisoners to provide protection against the police. An officer at the gate house said Wall was upset and had a gun visible in his car, which violates prison policy. 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? He goes straight to Cook, who is bleeding, and motions for him to get down on his knees. Many of North Carolina's maximum-security prisons are operating dangerously short of staff, current and former correctional officers told the Observer. The indictment was unsealed today in federal court, following Blyther's arrest by the FBI. 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. State prison policy says weapons potential criminal evidence should be kept in a locked container in the prisons armory. 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 Special Agent in Charge John A. This story was originally published December 13, 2014, 4:41 PM. 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. Heres how to check the conditions. Walls dismissal letter, obtained by The Observer, states that he had hidden bloody weapons in the ceiling of his old office. In 2014, a Lanesboro officer was paid $29,800 but made another $35,600 in overtime. The massacre, which left 111 prisoners dead, is considered by many people to be a major human rights violation. Other prison staff members showed him where it was, he said. For months, Bridges tried to make sense of what she saw at the murder scene and on surveillance video. programs we write about. 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. Zelaya-Sorto did reply to the Observer, but wrote only: Este caso esta serado This case is closed.. 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. Guice, the prison leader, acknowledged that the state faces significant staffing challenges. The suits also contend that Wall facilitated attacks on two other inmates the same year Turner was killed. They have a very difficult job Most of them do it the right way. The current capacity of Lanesboro Correctional Institution is 1,400 adult male inmates. Subsequent searches found numerous cellphones, improvised weapons and marijuana. Wesley Turner, a former inmate at Lanesboro Correctional Institution, was stabbed to death in a 2012 prison fight. Bridges said she doesnt believe that. They are now suing the facility. A North Carolina inmate was found guilty Monday of murdering four prison workers during a failed escape attempt two years ago. It is a close custody facility, which is the equivalent of maximum security. The state Department of Public Safety says an inmate at Bertie. Had there been more, he said, one female officer might never have been assaulted. The case was brought before the inter-American Commission by The Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL), the Teotnio Vilela Commission for Human Rights, and Human Rights Watch, and in 2000, eight years after the massacre, they condemned Brazil for it. 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. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. "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. But in his first public comments about the hidden weapons, Wall said Lanesboros top administrator at the time Lawrence Parsons was unaware that he kept the weapons in his ceiling. 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. For almost two years, an Observer reporter exchanged letters with inmate Christopher Cook, who described what led to the attack that killed Turner. 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. Turner, 35, a convicted murderer nicknamed Thug Life, has served most of his 21-year prison sentence. Acree said thetwo correctional officersassaulted with a broom handlewere treated by prison medical staff. What happened to (the shanks)? asked SBI agent Audria Bridges, who led the investigation into Turners murder. One of those shanks was stained, possibly from blood, Bridges said. At least eight Lanesboro officers were caught bringing in drugs, cellphones and tobacco from early 2013 to early 2017, according to law enforcement records. All three are serving their sentences at other prisons. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. Ortiz and Vazquez didnt respond to the Observers requests for information about the case. Three correctional officers were assaulted late last week at the same state prison where an officer was killed two years ago. A spokesman for the N.C. Department of Corrections says two inmates were taken to the hospital. 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. The prison is named for the nearby community of Lanesboro. Investigators and lawyers believe a prison manager knew the attack was coming. The state says the prison was on lockdown while they investigated the incident. Officers sprint in behind Wall, cornering the three attackers. 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. 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. 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. In 2012, an inmate at Lanesboro Correctional Institution was killed during a gang fight. 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. 111 Killed When Police Storm Brazilian Prison During Inmate Riot. The New York Times. Two state investigators said they reached the same opinion. Wall had been assigned to another prison while the Turner investigation was underway. Prisoners were reported attacking each other with knives and pipes. 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. [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 man turns and looks directly into the room. The Anson County Sheriff's Office says one inmate is dead and another was stabbed. Bridges, 46, a North Carolina State graduate and former Concord police officer, was familiar with Lanesboro. Channel 9 has investigated Lanesboro, a maximum-security prison, for years. Wynn alleges that another inmate stabbed him in the chest with a weapon resembling a filet knife, then threw a chair at him. He stares into the office for a few moments before walking away. Police are asking anyone with information related to the Easley murder to contact them immediately. Wesley Turner has come to defend Cook, his friend. 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 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.. Here are his plans. In 2014, a Lanesboro officer was paid $29,800 but made another $35,600 in overtime. February 2017 - Former officer Evangeline Hunt was charged with smuggling in drugs and other contraband for inmates. Dates, what you need to know, Winthrop loses to Radford in Big South tournament quarterfinals, Bonnaroo vows to stay champion of self-expression despite Tennessee drag show ban. Two pending federal lawsuits allege that Wall and his officers sold weapons to gang members. MMA Junkie says that police officer Henrique Otavio Oliveira Velozo is a suspect. Where, she wondered, were the shanks used to attack Cook and Turner? 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. 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.". 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. To investigators and the killers lawyers, his meaning seemed clear: Keep your mouth shut. 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. A typical day working at Lanesboro Correctional Institute was a stressful and dangerous job. [13] Although not entirely certain, his death was likely the result of his role in the massacre. This story was originally published December 4, 2014, 6:58 PM. An officer in a control room opened the door for them. Other prisoners were killed by police dogs. Following the attack, more than 800 inmates were put on lockdown for several months. ", "The inmates literally say, 'You all are understaffed, so if we wanted to, we could overtake this prison.' 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. He also said he had not kept a gun in plain view inside his car, contrary to what a corrections officer had reported. 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. Some facts related to events surrounding the murder of inmate Wesley Turner are drawn from prison surveillance video obtained by the Observer. 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. The. In such situations inmates will sometimes send associates to threaten the officers, or even assault them. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. "And this time it came up snake eyes," he said. 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. Ortiz later told investigators his weapon was a plastic toilet bowl cleaner with a sharpened end. 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. Both are members of the Folk Nation. Two other inmates involved in the gang-related fight that day Julio Alberto Zelaya-Sorto and Joel Corto Ortiz also pleaded guilty to felonies and had up to four and five years, respectively, added to their prison sentences. If the officer knew an assault was going to take place, would he have opened the door? Bridges asked. 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. 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. [10] He was in charge of the special police unit ROTA that is known for having an aggressive approach to civil disturbance. And we don't have enough staff to fight back.". A federal lawsuit, filed last month by five former Lanesboro inmates, alleges that corrections officers helped gang members wage attacks against other inmates. Cary man becomes 27th North Carolinian charged in Capitol riot. At 11:49 a.m., less than half an hour before the fatal fight begins, Wall walks into an office with an inmate. They are joined by a third Latino gang member, Gregorio Vazquez, who is in prison for second-degree murder. On the video, Cook, 41, is the tall inmate gesturing to other prisoners. Cook said he met him in 2001, when Turner came to his aid in a fight against correctional officers. Richard Dwyer, a prisoner at Lanesboro Correctional Institution, died Aug. 17 of an apparent suicide, a state Department of Public Safety news release said. The other inmate who was injured is being treated for his injuries. The state has changed the prisons leadership several times in recent years. In January, police and prosecutors teamed up with the prisons new administrator, John Herring, to begin criminally charging inmates caught with weapons. Wall turns and looks directly into the room where Vazquez waits. 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 . Less than an hour after the fight, SBI agent Audria Bridges began investigating the murder. 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. Prison surveillance video doesnt capture that meeting, so its unclear what they discussed.