He said he based his suspicions on information from inmate informants and prison surveillance video. 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. "All it would take is for five or ten guys to decide we're going to take over the prison. It's unclear whether better staffing would have saved Callahan's life. The incident was reported around1:30 p.m. at theLanesboro Correctional Institution in Polkton. Cook suffered lacerations and puncture wounds. 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. The suits also contend that Wall facilitated attacks on two other inmates the same year Turner was killed. As soon as the inmates entered D pod, Ortiz and Sorto attacked Cook, surveillance video shows. Wall turns and looks directly into the room where Vazquez waits. What to know about daylight saving time in NC, Goofy dog had no adoption inquiries for months. Reporters interviewed Cook in March, two days after he was released from prison. Combined, theyve been cited for dozens of offenses while in prison, including weapon possession, fighting and assault. Authorities believe all three of the convicted inmates had homemade knives, commonly known as shanks. Some correctional officers have more than doubled their income by working overtime. Thats Wall in the white shirt and tie entering the hallway on the video. Less than an hour after the fight, SBI agent Audria Bridges began investigating the murder. All three are serving their sentences at other prisons. Zelaya-Sorto and Ortiz pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon. The gashes in the officer's face and neck required 39 stitches. By Ames Alexander - aalexander@charlotteobserver.com. Both inmates are members of MS-13, a powerful Latino gang. In 2017, The New York Times published an article captioned "Brazils Deadly Prison System". Turner, 35, had also been serving time for second-degree murder and was scheduled for release in 2017. Wesley Turner has come to defend Cook, his friend. [16] The group is believed to be responsible for the death of Jos Ismael Pedrosa, the director of the prison at the time. If (prison officials) cant answer that question, why cant they?. Zelaya-Sorto pulls out a shank a handmade knife from inside his jumpsuit and lunges at Cook. The other inmate who was injured is being treated for his injuries. Wall is the first staff member to arrive. 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. Corrections officers flocked to the scene after the stabbings, but only one shank was recovered. Please enter valid email address to continue. Officers and staff have orchestrated illegal smuggling operations, beaten shackled inmates and engaged in sex with prisoners. Inmates at this prison are kept under close watch and have committed very serious crimes. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Accessed March 29, 2018. You're tired. Police haven't arrested his shooter and there are big questions about what led up to Thursday. Turner lies bleeding to death on the concrete floor. Vazquez and Zelaya-Sorto are scheduled for release in 2028. in Justice Studies and M.S. Human rights groups such as Human Rights Watch have also documented statistics of police violence and acquittals in Brazil. The prison has a staff complement of 403 employees including correctional officers, administrators, food service, medical, dental and maintenance workers. October 2014 - Prison administrator David Mitchell was stabbed in the neck by an inmate wielding a plastic shank. 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. Its time, Cook wrote, to expose why Turner died. Wynn alleges that another inmate stabbed him in the chest with a weapon resembling a filet knife, then threw a chair at him. I would like to see the truth be told about what happens at Lanesboro. Meggan Callahan was beaten to death, Medical Marijuana bill passes NC Senate; some cannabis supporters against bill, 8-year-old helps raise money for favorite Waffle House worker in need of car, PLAN AHEAD: Latest Weather Forecast Video. He would not discuss the lawsuit or his testimony with an Observer reporter. 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. 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. From a common area, Cook can see Zelaya-Sorto and Ortiz the prisoners who have just met with Wall. Special Agent in Charge John A. 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. Lo's lawyer confirmed to Brazilian news outlet G1 on Sunday that Lo was killed Saturday at a concert in So Paulo. It is a close custody facility, which is the equivalent of maximum security. The defendant is innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt in a court of law. The four staff members at the Lanesboro. 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.. Contact an Observer reporter: Ames Alexander | 704-358-5060 | aalexander@charlotteobserver.com, Gavin Off | 704-358-6038 | goff@charlotteobserver.com. In 2014, Vazquez pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for killing Turner. Hes a manager at Lanesboro Correctional Institution. This story was originally published December 13, 2014, 4:41 PM. But Vazquez stabbed and killed Turner using another improvised weapon, a sharpened metal plate. Ortiz later told investigators his weapon was a plastic toilet bowl cleaner with a sharpened end. I characterize the lack of supervision there as, quite frankly, shocking, Roberts 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. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Updated: 4:34 PM EST November 9, 2012. Both are members of the Folk Nation. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. But Jeffery Wall the unit manager who made the gesture has been accused in federal lawsuits of facilitating two other gang attacks the same year. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Walker said she cant discuss specifics, but the investigation was not related to the Turner case. 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. 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. The crackdown has reduced assaults, a DPS spokesman said. Roberts, one of Vazquezs attorneys, said he was surprised to see how freely inmates at Lanesboro were allowed to roam the prison. Shortly after 3 p.m., almost three hours after the attack, correctional officers lead Vazquez into a nurses office. Corrections officers recovered another improvised weapon at the scene a sharpened metal plate, which may have come from a prison door. He ran over and subdued the prisoner. Western North Carolina One of those shanks was stained, possibly from blood, Bridges said. 227 West Trade St. He sued and won a $10,000 settlement from the state. 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. Angela Smith, who worked as. Officers said excessive overtime work can leave them burned out and exhausted. Turner reportedly belonged to the same gang as Cook and was trying to go to his defense. The staffing shortages also put officers in danger, Smith said. Hands among the dead were found in front of the face or behind the head suggesting defensive positions. Then he covers his mouth. Meggan Callahan was killed there allegedly by an inmate who beat her to death with a fire extinguisher. 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. [1], The incident was started by a prisoner revolt. All three of the Latino inmates had sharp weapons. In such situations inmates will sometimes send associates to threaten the officers, or even assault them. Often, observers say, officers let inmates visit and congregate in administrative offices. The. 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. This story was originally published July 17, 2018, 8:17 PM. Staff researcher Maria David and David Raynor of The (Raleigh) News & Observer contributed. The Anson County Sheriff's Office says one inmate is dead and another was stabbed. For almost two years, an Observer reporter exchanged letters with inmate Christopher Cook, who described what led to the attack that killed Turner. [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. 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. In January, police and prosecutors teamed up with the prisons new administrator, John Herring, to begin criminally charging inmates caught with weapons. Bridges also questioned why Wall met with two gang members minutes before they attacked Cook. And we don't have enough staff to fight back.". In an 11-week period in early 2016, more than 15 staff members left Lanesboro under suspicion of wrongdoing, Mitchell said. But some experts interviewed by the Observer said that's a possibility. A North Carolina inmate was found guilty Monday of murdering four prison workers during a failed escape attempt two years ago. They are joined by a third Latino gang member, Gregorio Vazquez, who is in prison for second-degree murder. MMA Junkie says that police officer Henrique Otavio Oliveira Velozo is a suspect. 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.. All rights reserved. Other prison staff members showed him where it was, he said. Ortiz was sentenced to 37 to 57 months. Richard Dwyer, a prisoner at Lanesboro Correctional Institution, died Aug. 17 of an apparent suicide, a state Department of Public Safety news release said. I believe its not a coincidence that they are in that office within minutes of carrying out that hit, Bridges told an Observer reporter. In 2014, a Lanesboro officer was paid $29,800 but made another $35,600 in overtime. But local law enforcement officials are optimistic about changes at Lanesboro. 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. A female officer told Bridges that Wall just called looking for help. 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. This morning, Turner had warned Cook that Latino gang members planned to create trouble between the Bloods and the Folks. Main Office: Four correctional officers at a North Carolina prison were hospitalized Thursday after they were stabbed by several inmates, officials said. Police are asking anyone with information related to the Easley murder to contact them immediately. The prison is named for the nearby community of Lanesboro. 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.. Soon afterward, Vazquez attacked and killed Turner. in Criminal Justice, The Panopticon: The Controversy Over an 18th Century Prison Concept Thats Still in Use Today, Quick Work by Tennessee Correctional Officers Foils Escape Plan, California Correctional Officers Honored for Saving Lives While Off-Duty, Florida Corrections Officer Taken Hostage Found Unharmed, Correctional Center in Nome, Alaska Offers Job Training Workshops to Help Inmates Re-enter Society. All three of the convicted inmates have been transferred to other state prisons. He got the nickname Ghost Face as the only white kid hanging out in a Durham housing project. [24] Consequently, the prosecutor is initiating an appeal and the process remains ongoing. 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. The Observer repeatedly tried to reach Wall to discuss the Turner murder and the lawsuit allegations. 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. Five years after the murder, Lanesboros problems continue. The three wait outside Cooks cell block for more than a minute. English said he had gathered evidence about another prison sergeant who worked for Wall and who he suspected was bringing drugs into the prison. 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. Later that afternoon, Wall arrived at the Lanesboro parking lot, according to a prison document.
Alana O'herlihy Parents,
Lansing School District Food Services,
Articles L