Some family members believe that the murder may have been connected to an incident that occurred at a convenience store earlier in the week. He reportedly belonged to Cooks gang and planned to go to his defense. He sued and won a $10,000 settlement from the state. Zelaya-Sorto pulls out a shank a handmade knife from inside his jumpsuit and lunges at Cook. 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. Officers said excessive overtime work can leave them burned out and exhausted. Peguese resigned from the system in May 2013, while he was under investigation, said Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Pamela Walker. The massacre has also sparked ongoing discussions, both in Brazil and internationally about Brazil's prison system. I didnt have enough cooperation to connect the dots, she said. News anchor Fred Shropshire is leaving Charlotte station WCNC. The state has changed the prisons leadership several times in recent years. He would not discuss the lawsuit or his testimony with an Observer reporter. They are joined by a third Latino gang member, Gregorio Vazquez, who is in prison for second-degree murder. He also said he had not kept a gun in plain view inside his car, contrary to what a corrections officer had reported. October 04, 1992. Where, she wondered, were the shanks used to attack Cook and Turner? Please enter valid email address to continue. [9] The pay is low an average of the about $35,000 annually at maximum-security prisons and the work is dangerous and demanding. Jeremy Smith, who also represented Vazquez, formed the same opinion: Our theory is that, at best, the corrections officers knew (the attack) was going to happen and did nothing to stop it, he told the Observer. Wall said he put the shanks in the ceiling because he couldnt lock his desk drawer or file cabinet, his dismissal letter states. Ortiz later told investigators his weapon was a plastic toilet bowl cleaner with a sharpened end. 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. He was sentenced to 32 to 48 months. Department spokesman Keith Acree said the two are being treated for their injuries at local hospitals. Wynn, who is serving a life sentence following a 2008 murder conviction, was permanently disabled after one of the attacks, his lawyers say. The facility was a detention center, not a penitentiary, meaning that the inmates had not yet been tried or convicted. 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. Blyther was arrested by the FBI on Tuesday, October 29, 2019, and had his initial appearance this morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge David S. Cayer. 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. Bridges, 46, a North Carolina State graduate and former Concord police officer, was familiar with Lanesboro. 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. Roy Cooper has asked him to review the circumstances "to ensure this doesn't happen again.". English said he had gathered evidence about another prison sergeant who worked for Wall and who he suspected was bringing drugs into the prison. [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]. Prisoners were reported attacking each other with knives and pipes. The N.C. Department of Public Safety has declined the Observers requests for copies of the video, citing ongoing investigative reviews.. ". A lock ( A correctional officer in the state of North Carolina was recently murdered, just one month before his wedding. 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. 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. "You can only spread people so thin," she said. Wall and another prison manager walk down the hallway minutes later, then stop outside the office. Less than an hour after the fight, SBI agent Audria Bridges began investigating the murder. October 2014 - Prison administrator David Mitchell was stabbed in the neck by an inmate wielding a plastic shank. Suite 1650 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. John Sapper is appointed as the new administrator at Bertie Correctional Institution in Windsor. The crackdown has reduced assaults, a DPS spokesman said. 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.. He died helping me, Cook wrote in a letter to the Observer. The inmate was always in his office, and that was kind of unusual, Covington said. Wall, who joined the prison system in 1995, was fired in August 2013 for willful violation of written rules and creating conditions that increased the chance of death or serious bodily injury, his dismissal letter states. They pepper-spray and beat Vazquez with batons to stop him from stabbing Turner. Parsons testified that it was easy for inmates to make weapons, from broom handles, batteries and even toothbrushes. The gashes in the officer's face and neck required 39 stitches. 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. As soon as the inmates entered D pod, Ortiz and Sorto attacked Cook, surveillance video shows. One of those officers fell and hurt her knee when she went to Callahan's defense, Jernigan said. Updated: 4:34 PM EST November 9, 2012. 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. In an 11-week period in early 2016, more than 15 staff members left Lanesboro under suspicion of wrongdoing, Mitchell said. The other inmate who was injured is being treated for his injuries. Minutes before the Sept. 28, 2012, assault that killed Wesley Turner, two inmates involved visited the office of an assistant unit manager at the Anson County prison, State Bureau of Investigation agents say. On the morning of Sept. 28, 2012, the day that Turner was stabbed to death, there were rumors of potential violence. Both inmates are members of MS-13, a powerful Latino gang. At least eight Lanesboro officers were caught bringing in drugs, cellphones and tobacco from early 2013 to early 2017, according to law enforcement records. Here are his plans. Often, exhausted prison officers fall asleep on the job, too. "It's not safe," McCoy 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. 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. Following the attack, more than 800 inmates were put on lockdown for several months. "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. In my opinion, it didnt seem logical to hide them in the ceiling, she said. And, he said, they would even go so far as to tie dental floss around forbidden items, flush them down the toilet before a cell search and later use the dental floss to retrieve them. Another direct result of the riot and the handling of the riot was the unification of prisoners. The current capacity of Lanesboro Correctional Institution is 1,400 adult male inmates. 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. 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. A federal lawsuit, filed last month by five former Lanesboro inmates, alleges that corrections officers helped gang members wage attacks against other inmates. 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. And they say pay increases approved by the legislature in 2015 will also help with recruiting. Inmates often hid contraband in body cavities, Parsons said. But Daniel Roberts, one of the attorneys, told a judge at a court hearing that the videos and other evidence suggest prison officials either sanctioned the attack or looked the other way. The officer opens the door for an inmate, and the three gang members follow him into a cell block where they dont belong. On the video, Cook, 41, is the tall inmate gesturing to other prisoners. One Polk officer made $29,800 in salary in 2015. [19] In August 2013, another 25 policemen involved in the massacre were sentenced to 624 years each for the deaths of 52 inmates. Ortiz is scheduled to get out in 2019. Richard Dwyer, a prisoner at Lanesboro Correctional Institution, died Aug. 17 of an apparent suicide, a state Department of Public Safety news release said. In such situations inmates will sometimes send associates to threaten the officers, or even assault them. The. A former high-ranking administrator accused of fostering violence at one of North Carolinas most dangerous prisons acknowledged in federal court Tuesday that he kept homemade weapons such as shanks hidden in the ceiling of his prison office. [24] Consequently, the prosecutor is initiating an appeal and the process remains ongoing. The incident was reported around 1:30 p.m. at the Lanesboro Correctional Institution in Polkton. Do you want to share documents or information about the North Carolina prisons? Cook is a leader of the Folk Nation, a rival gang, and he has heard rumors of escalating gang tensions. Zelaya-Sorto did reply to the Observer, but wrote only: Este caso esta serado This case is closed.. 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.. 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.. An investigation by The Charlotte Observer last year found that state prison policies and management failures allow corruption and violence to thrive. A veteran SC attorney weighs in, Alex Murdaugh murder trial jury begins deliberations same day 1 juror is removed. Contact SAP - Penitentiary Administration of So Paulo (Secretaria da Administrao Penitenciria), Brazil, Corrections in So Paulo, So Paulo Brazil. August 2011 - Eighteen inmates assaulted staff members throughout the month. Acree said thetwo correctional officersassaulted with a broom handlewere treated by prison medical staff. 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. The massacre, which left 111 prisoners dead, is considered by many people to be a major human rights violation. 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. 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. Wall was eventually fired in 2013, after Parsons had left Lanesboro and after the homemade shanks were found hidden in the ceiling of Walls office. None of the officers convicted have served their sentences. Both are members of the Folk Nation. In January, police and prosecutors teamed up with the prisons new administrator, John Herring, to begin criminally charging inmates caught with weapons. Western North Carolina In a court filing, he said he never facilitated attacks. The indictment was unsealed today in federal court, following Blyther's arrest by the FBI. 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? The Anson County Sheriff's Office says one inmate is dead and another was stabbed. 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. One of Brazil's most notorious gangs, the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC), is said to have formed in 1993 as a response to the event. Cook suffered lacerations and puncture wounds. Wesley Turner has come to defend Cook, his friend. But only one shank was recovered. Officers said excessive overtime work can leave them burned out and exhausted. [1], The incident was started by a prisoner revolt. Others believe that it was somehow connected to his job. Learn how and when to remove this template message, "111 Killed When Police Storm Brazilian Prison During Inmate Riot", "Carandiru v. Brasil, Report, Report No. Police are asking anyone with information related to the Easley murder to contact them immediately. 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.". 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. Contact an Observer reporter: Ames Alexander | 704-358-5060 | aalexander@charlotteobserver.com, Gavin Off | 704-358-6038 | goff@charlotteobserver.com. Special Agent in Charge John A. Wesley Turnerwas stabbed to death and taken to Anson Community Hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to the N.C. Department of Public Safety. Jurors deliberated for about half an hour before convicting Mikel. Roberts, one of Vazquezs attorneys, said he was surprised to see how freely inmates at Lanesboro were allowed to roam the prison. "It's so dangerous," Gravitte said. ANSON COUNTY, N.C. One inmate is dead after an incident at Lanesboro Correctional Center in Anson County. 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. His attorney, Joseph Ledford, wouldnt discuss his case and said he advised his client not to talk. They visited the office for about 15 minutes. Our site does not feature every educational option available on the market. They assert that releasing the videos could jeopardize prison security. There are no national standards for minimum staffing at prisons, experts say. Relatives of those killed and human rights activists have both demanded and appealed for justice. 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. Walker said she cant discuss specifics, but the investigation was not related to the Turner case. Authorities believe all three of the convicted inmates had homemade knives, commonly known as shanks. By Ames Alexander - aalexander@charlotteobserver.com. In a court filing, Wall denied the federal lawsuit claims, saying he never facilitated attacks or gave gang members preferential treatment. 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. At no time did (I) knowingly or willingly allow any inmate to attack any inmate, he wrote. Theyre within feet of an officer who controls the locked door to the block. "We've got a lot of folks who are not staying with us.". Most (of the prisons officers) are good, hard-working folks, said Underwood, the SBI supervisor. Then he counted the rings, Is red tide present at your favorite Florida beach? No prison officials have been criminally charged. Statewide, correctional officers received more than $12 million in overtime in 2015, the Observer found. What happened to (the shanks)? asked SBI agent Audria Bridges, who led the investigation into Turners murder. The CO was reportedly stabbed and suffered heavy bleeding after responding to an inmate fight. 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. If the officer knew an assault was going to take place, would he have opened the door? Bridges asked. He stretches his arms high. Officers and staff have orchestrated illegal smuggling operations, beaten shackled inmates and engaged in sex with prisoners. 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. 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. The dismissal letter, signed by Lanesboros acting administrator at the time, called Walls statement a clear threat of injury or harm to staff.. But, with the help of a source, the Observer obtained a prison surveillance video from the 2012 attack that killed inmate Wesley Turner, providing a rare glimpse into a prison murder. 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. A prison system veteran who earned about $41,000 a year, Wall was one of Lanesboros four unit managers, overseeing a block with nearly 300 inmates. 34/00, Case No. 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 Located in Polkton, about 45 miles east of Charlotte, Lanesboro has repeatedly drawn. If (prison officials) cant answer that question, why cant they?. Channel 9 has investigated Lanesboro, a maximum-security prison, for years. Later, investigators found bloody weapons hidden in the ceiling of Walls old office. Walls testimony was brief and he did not elaborate on the hidden weapons. [15] The surviving gang members joined forces with other prisoners to provide protection against the police. Wall, now 45, wouldnt talk to the Observer. Alex Murdaugh sentenced to life in prison for murders of wife, son in June 2021, Get ready to change your clocks. The letter also stated that Wall intentionally tried to conceal contraband that might have been used for pending criminal charges or an internal investigation. [17], After years of national and international pressure, the prison was demolished on 8 December 2002, the former complex having been turned into a park. But after investigating for more than a year, the SBI closed the case. Its the few who dont who make problems for everybody.. Lanesboro has a standard operating capacity of 864 close-custody male inmates, with 128 segregation cells and 8 health care beds. No, I dont think he would have.. Cook, the target of the 2012 attack, was released from prison in March. Turner was scheduled to get out of prison this year, too. 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.. Seconds later, another prisoner follows. Inmates catch a mid-morning nap at Lanesboro Correctional Institution, in Polkton. Zelaya-Sorto and Ortiz pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon. A search warrant affidavit filed earlier this year said that homemade knives were found in the ceiling above the office of Jeffery Wall, a former manager over the prison unit where Turner was killed. State corrections officials identified the inmate killed as Wesley Eugene Turner, 35, who had been in prison since 1996 for multiple offenses, including second-degree murder. Turner reportedly belonged to the same gang as Cook and was trying to go to his defense. Are there more visitors than ever in Bradenton, Sarasota as peak season approaches? 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. Nikki Haley will be at Horry-Georgetown Technical College on March 13, a month after she launched her White House bid. The Anson County Sheriff's Office says one inmate is dead and another was stabbed. It's unclear whether better staffing would have saved Callahan's life. Then they returned to D pod, the unit where they lived. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The winner, from Charlotte, took her prize as a $600,000 lump sum, officials said. Lo's lawyer confirmed to Brazilian news outlet G1 on Sunday that Lo was killed Saturday at a concert in So Paulo. Officers found Dwyer dead at 10:15. 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 staffing shortages also put officers in danger, Smith said. Strong of the FBIs Charlotte Field Office, joins U.S. Attorney Murray in making the announcement. The five men say they filed the lawsuit because of their time at Lanesboro Correctional Institution. Copyright 2012 WBTV. "All it would take is for five or ten guys to decide we're going to take over the prison. 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. 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. An investigation by The Charlotte Observer found that state prison policies and management failures allow corruption to thrive. They are now suing the facility. He goes straight to Cook, who is bleeding, and motions for him to get down on his knees. February 2017 - Former officer Evangeline Hunt was charged with smuggling in drugs and other contraband for inmates. Soon afterward, he contacted a Lanesboro employee, asking her to retrieve the contraband from the ceiling of his old office, his dismissal letter states. Four correctional officers at a North Carolina prison were hospitalized Thursday after they were stabbed by several inmates, officials said. Id like to see the truth be told about what really does go on in here.. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. His friend may be next. [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. This story was originally published December 13, 2014, 4:41 PM. Subsequent searches found numerous cellphones, improvised weapons and marijuana. MMA Junkie says that police officer Henrique Otavio Oliveira Velozo is a suspect. 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. They entered their dogs in fights and watched them die. Wesley Turner, a former inmate at Lanesboro Correctional Institution, was stabbed to death in a 2012 prison fight. 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. Bridges and a prison captain searched the ceiling and found videos of prison fights, nine rods, a long metal shank and three bloody shanks. Polkton is 45 miles southeast of Charlotte. In interviews with investigators, officer Kearry Hinson said he picked up one of the weapons used in the fight and gave it to Wall. [16] The group is believed to be responsible for the death of Jos Ismael Pedrosa, the director of the prison at the time. If you go down to the local high school, you would see a way more controlled atmosphere than you saw in this video.. Wynn alleges that another inmate stabbed him in the chest with a weapon resembling a filet knife, then threw a chair at him. "They might have had enough officers to subdue that inmate before he got that fire extinguisher from the sergeant," said Robert Webster, a former captain at two North Carolina maximum-security prisons.
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