Less than an hour after the fight, SBI agent Audria Bridges began investigating the murder. Lanesboro Correctional Institution is a 1,000 cell, high security prison facility located adjacent to Brown Creek Correctional Institution and Anson Correctional Center in Polkton, NC. 9 investigates assaults on Lanesboro prison staff members Inmates within the LCI were prohibited from possessing controlled substances and are permitted to use controlled substances only when prescribed by a medical professional and under the direct supervision of LCI staff. Turner was scheduled to get out of prison this year, too. Bridges said she doesnt believe that. Parsons testified that it was easy for inmates to make weapons, from broom handles, batteries and even toothbrushes. Feds, state investigating gangs at NC prison | Rock Hill Herald Forensic tests did not tie any of the shanks in Walls ceiling to the attacks on Turner, according to Bridges, the SBI agent. His attorney, Joseph Ledford, wouldnt discuss his case and said he advised his client not to talk. The slain officer, Bias Easley, worked at the Lanesboro Correctional Institute, which is located near Wadesboro. Ballistic evidence indicated that 515 bullets were found in the prisoners. There, Ortiz and Zelaya-Sorto attacked and seriously injured inmate Christopher Cook. Bridges and a prison captain searched the ceiling and found videos of prison fights, nine rods, a long metal shank and three bloody shanks. Meggan Callahan was killed by an inmate at Bertie Correctional Institution Wednesday evening. Inmates at this prison are kept under close watch and have committed very serious crimes. 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. NC prison was understaffed when sergeant was beaten to death 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. 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. Wynn said he did not want to be branded as a prison snitch, a label that can get inmates hurt. Walker said she cant discuss specifics, but the investigation was not related to the Turner case. In a court filing, Wall said he never facilitated attacks. in Criminal Justice - Corrections, and M.S. He said he based his suspicions on information from inmate informants and prison surveillance video. 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. A lock ( Bridges also questioned why Wall met with two gang members minutes before they attacked Cook. Officers said excessive overtime work can leave them burned out and exhausted. Officers and staff have orchestrated illegal smuggling operations, beaten shackled inmates and engaged in sex with prisoners. The crackdown has reduced assaults, a DPS spokesman said. Authorities believe all three of the convicted inmates had homemade knives, commonly known as shanks. Among them: a manager suspected of being too close to inmates. Finding people who are willing to work as prison officers isn't easy. Seconds later, another prisoner follows. North Carolina Correctional Officer Killed in Front of Home 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. The vigil and pleas for justice led to several trials for the officers involved in the massacre that same year. In 2014, a Lanesboro officer was paid $29,800 but made another $35,600 in overtime. It was me who was supposed to die that day.. Inmates often hid contraband in body cavities, Parsons said. FBI Arrests Corrections Officer For Smuggling A Controlled Substance At The LCI housed medium and close-security inmates and was one of the states largest prisons. This story was originally published July 17, 2018, 8:17 PM. An investigation by The Charlotte Observer last year found that state prison policies and management failures allow corruption and violence to thrive. Where, she wondered, were the shanks used to attack Cook and Turner? North Carolina Prisoners Sue Over Gang Violence, Obtain $62,500 Another prisoner also slips through the door. 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. WINDSOR, NC (Ames Alexander and Gavin Off/The Charlotte Observer) - Bertie Correctional Institution was understaffed the month that Sgt. He stretches his arms wide above his head, then lowers them and covers his mouth with both hands. 111 Killed When Police Storm Brazilian Prison During Inmate Riot. The New York Times. They visited the office for about 15 minutes. It was shocking to see the place wasnt being supervised with more of the restrictions that youd expect in a prison, she said. Then he covers his mouth. All three belonged to gangs. POLKTON, N.C. -- Authorities in North Carolina say two supervisors were stabbed and two correctional officers were assaulted with a broom handle in an attack at a state prison. 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. [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. [10] He was in charge of the special police unit ROTA that is known for having an aggressive approach to civil disturbance. The facility houses medium- and close-security inmates. The indictment was unsealed today in federal court, following Blyther's arrest by the FBI. Another prison manager in that cramped office at the time told investigators that she was not paying attention as Wall spoke to the gang members, Bridges said. 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.. Brian Dawe, executive director of the American Correctional Officer Intelligence Network (ACOIN), said Bertie like most of the nation's prisons appeared to be badly understaffed, based on the numbers that state prison officials provided to the Observer. But only one shank was recovered. 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. At the time, she was responding to a fire that had been set inside the. Inmates catch a mid-morning nap at Lanesboro Correctional Institution, in Polkton. Then he counted the rings, Is red tide present at your favorite Florida beach? The confrontation began at about 8:30 a.m., when an inmate assaulted another inmate at the prison in Anson County, according to a statement from N.C. Director of Prisons Kenneth Lassiter. Attorneys for Vazquez said their client never told them what led to the fight. The first inmates arrived in January 2004. Wall turns and looks directly into the room where Vazquez waits. 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. [1], The incident was started by a prisoner revolt. "It puts officers' lives in danger to be honest. 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. A North Carolina inmate was found guilty Monday of murdering four prison workers during a failed escape attempt two years ago. Contact an Observer reporter: Ames Alexander | 704-358-5060 | aalexander@charlotteobserver.com, Gavin Off | 704-358-6038 | goff@charlotteobserver.com. [2] The conflict consisted of 2,069 prisoners against 15 guards, resulting in the guards quickly losing control of the prisoners. "You can only spread people so thin," she said. Both of the attacks involved weapons. Ortiz was sentenced to 37 to 57 months. 4 correctional officers assaulted at North Carolina prison But local law enforcement officials are optimistic about changes at Lanesboro. Police are asking anyone with information related to the Easley murder to contact them immediately. Id like to see the truth be told about what really does go on in here.. His name has not been released. Thats Wall in the white shirt and tie entering the hallway on the video. Hours after the murder, video also shows Wall gesturing to the killer. Both inmates are members of MS-13, a powerful Latino gang. If (prison officials) cant answer that question, why cant they?. The staffing shortages also put officers in danger, Smith said. Zelaya-Sorto did reply to the Observer, but wrote only: Este caso esta serado This case is closed.. 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. It's unclear whether better staffing would have saved Callahan's life. Turner reportedly belonged to the same gang as Cook and was trying to go to his defense. In 2014, a Lanesboro officer was paid $29,800 but made another $35,600 in overtime. 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. Inside his cell block, inmate Christopher Cook expects trouble. He stretches his arms high. 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. RALEIGH, N.C. A prison officer and two inmates were injured during a fight at Lanesboro Correctional Institution Thursday morning, state prison officials said. 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. In a court filing, he said he never facilitated attacks. About 45 miles from Charlotte, just beyond a grove of trees, Lanesboro Correctional Institution houses some of the states most violent criminals. Some correctional officers have more than doubled their income by working overtime. Updated: 4:34 PM EST November 9, 2012. Vazquez, 32, had already been serving an eight- to 10-year sentence for second-degree murder. 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. Some facts related to events surrounding the murder of inmate Wesley Turner are drawn from prison surveillance video obtained by the Observer. Officer, two inmates assaulted and injured at Lanesboro prison | Rock 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. In a court filing, Wall denied the federal lawsuit claims, saying he never facilitated attacks or gave gang members preferential treatment. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. "It's so dangerous," Gravitte said. The Anson County Sheriff's Office says one inmate is dead and another was stabbed. The CO was reportedly stabbed and suffered heavy bleeding after responding to an inmate fight. Officials: Lanesboro guard smuggled heroin for inmate The gashes in the officer's face and neck required 39 stitches. Other inmates had told investigators that Hodges was supplying contraband to an inmate gang member who she later admitted was her boyfriend, court records show. Here are his plans. [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]. "It's not safe," McCoy said. Attorneys for the state quizzed Wynn why he didnt take steps that might have allowed him to avoid the attack. 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. 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 . 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. I believe its not a coincidence that they are in that office within minutes of carrying out that hit, Bridges told an Observer reporter. The inmate was identified as 35-year-old Wesley Turner in a news release from N.C . CO stabbed during inmate fight at NC prison - Corrections1 - 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. [9] The inmate who spent time with Wall Joseph Sanderlin was involved in at least two attacks at Lanesboro, Wynns attorneys say. 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. A veteran SC attorney weighs in, Alex Murdaugh murder trial jury begins deliberations same day 1 juror is removed. "All it would take is for five or ten guys to decide we're going to take over the prison. Did prison guards conspire with inmates, gangs at North Carolina prison He reportedly belonged to Cooks gang and planned to go to his defense. Officers said excessive overtime work can leave them burned out and exhausted. State prison officials refused to say how many staff were on duty the day Callahan died. Soon afterward, a corrections officer allowed the inmates into the pod where the murder took place. Staff stabbed, guards attacked with broom handle at N.C. prison - CBS News A locked padlock Bridges said that, in her opinion, Walls meeting with the Latino gang members was connected in some way with the subsequent fight. Authorities say prison Sgt. In 2014, a Lanesboro officer was paid $29,800 but made another $35,600 in overtime. 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 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. In a cell block inside one of the states most dangerous prisons, an inmate stabs a rival gang member over and over, 13 times. But he said that Gov. 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. In October, the prisons top administrator, David Mitchell, was injured after he was stabbed in the neck by an inmate wielding a plastic shank. They refuse. If the officer knew an assault was going to take place, would he have opened the door? Bridges asked. 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. 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. 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. Five years after the murder, Lanesboros problems continue. Had there been more, he said, one female officer might never have been assaulted. in Justice Studies and M.S. They are now suing the facility. [16] The group is believed to be responsible for the death of Jos Ismael Pedrosa, the director of the prison at the time. By Ames Alexander, Gavin Off and Elizabeth Leland. Said Gary Harkins, former research and information director for ACOIN: "People can get killed when you don't have enough staff. MMA Junkie says that police officer Henrique Otavio Oliveira Velozo is a suspect. The Anson County Sheriff's Office says one inmate is dead and another was stabbed. It's as simple as that.". "When your shift starts at 5:30 a.m. and you work 12 hours and you get told you're held over till 9 (p.m.) you're not alert. At least eight Lanesboro officers were caught bringing in drugs, cellphones and tobacco from early 2013 to early 2017, according to law enforcement records. The facility was a detention center, not a penitentiary, meaning that the inmates had not yet been tried or convicted. B.S. The massacre, which left 111 prisoners dead, is considered by many people to be a major human rights violation. 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 Parsons was willfully and deliberately indifferent to his safety, in violation of his Constitutional right to protection from cruel and unusual punishment. [22][23] The court judged that the massacre was an act of self-defense and that there was a lack of evidence to link the individual officers to the individual killings. Main Office: Three correctional officers were assaulted late last week at the same state prison where an officer was killed two years ago. 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. For the past nine years, Sapper has served as the operations manager for the Coastal Region, overseeing 12 prisons in eastern North Carolina. April 2009 - Inmate Prentiss Quick complained of chest pains and requested medical help, but no one at the prison got him to a nurse or a doctor, a correctional officer and an inmate said. 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. Western North Carolina [14] He acknowledged that he had heard complaints about Wall from officers at the prison, but they had no concrete evidence.. Lanesboro Correctional Institution - Wikipedia There are no national standards for minimum staffing at prisons, experts say. Acree said thetwo correctional officersassaulted with a broom handlewere treated by prison medical staff. / CBS/AP. The Observer repeatedly tried to reach Wall to discuss the Turner murder and the lawsuit allegations. To investigators and the killers lawyers, his meaning seemed clear: Keep your mouth shut. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. 227 West Trade St. Lanesboro has a standard operating capacity of 864 close-custody male inmates, with 128 segregation cells and 8 health care beds. 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. Combined, theyve been cited for dozens of offenses while in prison, including weapon possession, fighting and assault. Guards allegedly opened For almost two years, an Observer reporter exchanged letters with inmate Christopher Cook, who described what led to the attack that killed Turner. NC sergeant killed by inmate worked in understaffed prison | Charlotte 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. More than 45 N.C. prison officers have been fired . Cook is unarmed. Prison officer Megan Lee Callahan killed at Bertie Correctional 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. Later, investigators found bloody weapons hidden in the ceiling of Walls old office. [6], By the end of the day, 111 prisoners were dead; and 37 more were injured. Staff researcher Maria David and David Raynor of The (Raleigh) News & Observer contributed. Investigators and lawyers believe a prison manager knew the attack was coming. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dana Washington, of the U.S. Attorneys Office in Charlotte, is in charge of the prosecution. [8] In 2013, hundreds of people attended a multi-faith vigil in So Paulo in memoriam of those killed in the massacre. Alex Murdaugh sentenced to life in prison for murders of wife, son in June 2021. 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. In an 11-week period in early 2016, more than 15 staff members left Lanesboro under suspicion of wrongdoing, Mitchell said. Officers skipped their required rounds at the prison the night Quick died, records show. ". 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. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. [18] Since the beginning of 2016, more than 30 stabbings occurred. 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. Theyre within feet of an officer who controls the locked door to the block. 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. The officer said Wall asked her to go into his old office and retrieve a bag of shanks from the ceiling. 1 inmate dead after incident at correctional center - WSOC TV Reach reporter Imari Scarbrough at 704-994-5471 and follow her on Twitter @ImariScarbrough. Lanesboro Correctional Institution houses about 1,800 inmates in close, medium and minimum custody. She and her colleagues in the Charlotte SBI office were frequently called to investigate crimes there, including officers charged with bringing drugs to inmates. [21] But it was sometimes hard for prison officers to find those shanks, Parsons 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. 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. Lock But by that time, the officer was already bleeding profusely. Inmates sue staff of Lanesboro Correctional - WBTV News 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. 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. The FBI investigated the case. Leandro Lo, a legendary jiu-jitsu fighter, was killed in Brazil, according to MMA Junkie.He was 33 years old. He said hes haunted by Turners murder and has branded the letters of his best friends nickname into his right side. Press TV on Twitter: "RT @PresstvExtra: At least 40 people have been News anchor Fred Shropshire is leaving Charlotte station WCNC. One prisoner alleges that Wall ran a violent, contraband-driven fiefdom.. But prison officials did release the monthly figures, which show that the prison had 211 officers available to work in April. Meggan Callahan was killed there allegedly by an inmate who beat her to death with a fire extinguisher. Turner, 35, had also been serving time for second-degree murder and was scheduled for release in 2017. The state has recently made offers to about 400 officer candidates, so the vacancy rate will likely drop, Guice said. Leandro Lo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Star, Killed in So Paulo - Sports Walls testimony was brief and he did not elaborate on the hidden weapons. The defendant is innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt in a court of law. September 2016 - Inmates stabbed a sergeant and a lieutenant at the prison, and hit two other officers with a broom handle. Wall is the first staff member to arrive. Prison officials refused to open Cooks cell door so that investigators could get a DNA sample, Bridges said. The first to enter is Julio Zelaya-Sorto, convicted of shooting and killing a man at a Greensboro nightclub. Later that afternoon, Wall arrived at the Lanesboro parking lot, according to a prison document. In court documents, Parsons has denied that. [8], In April 2013, 23 policemen involved in the massacre were sentenced to 156 years in prison each for the killing of 13 inmates. 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. Suite 1650 Food Service Officer (Former Employee) - Wadesboro, NC - August 31, 2019. 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. In July 2013, 10 months after the attack, Bridges was at Lanesboro interviewing an inmate when she got a tip. The Killing Consensus: Homicide Detectives, Police that Kill and Organized Crime in Sio Paulo, Brazil.