"I think if I hadn't gotten over there in time, (Mosley) probably would have cut her throat," McCoy said. 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? 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. 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. 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. According to the indictment, between August and September 2018, while employed at LCI as a correctional officer, Blyther accepted a bribe to smuggle a controlled substance into the LCI on behalf of an inmate housed at the facility. 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. There are no national standards for minimum staffing at prisons, experts say. All three are serving their sentences at other prisons. One Polk officer made $29,800 in salary in 2015. Walls dismissal letter, obtained by The Observer, states that he had hidden bloody weapons in the ceiling of his old office. He said three inmates believed to be involved in the assault have been identified and are being questioned. Asheville:(828) 271-4661. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. 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. To investigators and the killers lawyers, his meaning seems clear: The man making that gesture isnt another inmate. Soon afterward, he contacted a Lanesboro employee, asking her to retrieve the contraband from the ceiling of his old office, his dismissal letter states. Authorities believe all three of the convicted inmates had homemade knives, commonly known as shanks. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. He had 43. For the past nine years, Sapper has served as the operations manager for the Coastal Region, overseeing 12 prisons in eastern North Carolina. But local law enforcement officials are optimistic about changes at Lanesboro. The three wait outside Cooks cell block for more than a minute. 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. In 2014, a Lanesboro officer was paid $29,800 but made another $35,600 in overtime. 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. 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. 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. In a cell block inside one of the states most dangerous prisons, an inmate stabs a rival gang member over and over, 13 times. Heres how to check the conditions. 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. NC prison was understaffed when sergeant was beaten to death 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. The man turns and looks directly into the room. The defendant is innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt in a court of law. On the video, Cook, 41, is the tall inmate gesturing to other prisoners. An officer in a control room opened the door for them. Now two NC men face prison. His name has not been released. Vazquez and Zelaya-Sorto are scheduled for release in 2028. Bertie now houses about 935 inmates. Roberts, one of Vazquezs attorneys, said he was surprised to see how freely inmates at Lanesboro were allowed to roam the prison. He did not respond. Then Wall said, They have nothing to worry about because if I wanted to get anyone, I could get them touched from the outside, the letter states. Often, observers say, officers let inmates visit and congregate in administrative offices. Prison officials considered that a clear threat to staff. If the officer knew an assault was going to take place, would he have opened the door? Bridges asked. That explanation didnt make sense to Bridges. But minutes later, they are walking through a prison hallway with weapons, headed for a fight. Wall, now 45, wouldnt talk to the Observer. All charges in the indictment are allegations. All three belonged to gangs. 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. Ronald Covington, a former captain at Lanesboro, testified that Wall appeared to be close to a gang-affiliated inmate. NC prison officials asked for inmates' silence after Lanesboro killing He also said he had not kept a gun in plain view inside his car, contrary to what a corrections officer had reported. Hodges was sentenced to two years in federal prison. 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. The five men say they filed the lawsuit because of their time at Lanesboro Correctional Institution. Another direct result of the riot and the handling of the riot was the unification of prisoners. 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.. 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. Turner, who lived in D pod with the other three inmates, went through the door behind them. Wall was transferred to work at a different prison while under investigation in July 2013. The incident was reported around 1:30 p.m. at the Lanesboro Correctional Institution in Polkton. It did not appear to be a normal prison relationship that a correctional officer should have with inmates, Underwood said. The. Hes a rookie at Lanesboro who is new to that job, still learning who to let in and who to keep out. Among them: a manager suspected of being too close to inmates. They assert that releasing the videos could jeopardize prison security. In such situations inmates will sometimes send associates to threaten the officers, or even assault them. They pepper-spray and beat Vazquez with batons to stop him from stabbing Turner. The inmate was identified as 35-year-old Wesley Turner in a news release from N.C . DPS names three new prison administrators | NC DPS What happened to (the shanks)? asked SBI agent Audria Bridges, who led the investigation into Turners murder. Reporters interviewed Cook in March, two days after he was released from prison. Some correctional officers have more than doubled their income by working overtime. The CO was reportedly stabbed and suffered heavy bleeding after responding to an inmate fight. SBI officials say theres no proof that happened in the Turner case. Working at Lanesboro Correctional Institution: 17 Reviews - Indeed [12] Guimares, who was also a member of the So Paulo state legislature, was assassinated in September 2006. Feds, state investigating gangs at NC prison | Rock Hill Herald Meggan Callahan was killed by an inmate at Bertie Correctional Institution Wednesday evening. But it was sometimes hard for prison officers to find those shanks, Parsons said. Charlotte, NC 28202, Charlotte: (704) 344-6222 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. He was not asked to explain why. Turner, 35, had also been serving time for second-degree murder and was scheduled for release in 2017. Theyre within feet of an officer who controls the locked door to the block. 227 West Trade St. WINDSOR, NC (Ames Alexander and Gavin Off/The Charlotte Observer) - Bertie Correctional Institution was understaffed the month that Sgt. 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. Food Service Officer (Former Employee) - Wadesboro, NC - August 31, 2019. September 2016 - Inmates stabbed a sergeant and a lieutenant at the prison, and hit two other officers with a broom handle. Five years after the murder, Lanesboros problems continue. Other prisoners were killed by police dogs. And they say pay increases approved by the legislature in 2015 will also help with recruiting. 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. In interviews with investigators, officer Kearry Hinson said he picked up one of the weapons used in the fight and gave it to Wall. Carandiru massacre - Wikipedia He said hes haunted by Turners murder and has branded the letters of his best friends nickname into his right side. Had there been more, he said, one female officer might never have been assaulted. Wall told Bridges that he was asking about rumors of a planned attack on him. September 29, 2016 / 6:08 PM / CBS/AP. The state says the prison was on lockdown while they investigated the incident. Its so dangerous that some officers begin their work days by asking those coming off the previous shift how many assaults theyve just seen. Copyright 2012 WBTV. 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. The Anson County Sheriff's Office says one inmate is dead and another was stabbed. The inmate was always in his office, and that was kind of unusual, Covington said. Most (of the prisons officers) are good, hard-working folks, said Underwood, the SBI supervisor. [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". 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. One former officer, who rushed to a colleague's defense after she was slashed in the neck by an inmate at Lanesboro Correctional Institution, said the attack might have been prevented with more staff. The prison has a staff complement of 403 employees including correctional officers, administrators, food service, medical, dental and maintenance workers. McCoy heard the officer curse and saw her struggling with an inmate. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. Did prison guards conspire with inmates, gangs at North Carolina prison All rights reserved. Hes a manager at Lanesboro Correctional Institution. Parsons declined to talk with the Observer about that and other allegations. 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. 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. 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. Another prisoner also slips through the door. [15] The surviving gang members joined forces with other prisoners to provide protection against the police. A lock ( Soon afterward, Vazquez attacked and killed Turner. Officers sprint in behind Wall, cornering the three attackers. He ran over and subdued the prisoner. "It puts officers' lives in danger to be honest. 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. Prisoners were reported attacking each other with knives and pipes. The suits also contend that Wall facilitated attacks on two other inmates the same year Turner was killed. A locked padlock 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. 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. Less than an hour after the fight, SBI agent Audria Bridges began investigating the murder. The winner, from Charlotte, took her prize as a $600,000 lump sum, officials said. "We've got a lot of folks who are not staying with us.". At other prisons of comparable size, officers told the Observer, it's common for about 50 or 60 officers to work the day shift. [5] The prisoners were stripped, locked in their cells and shot. I characterize the lack of supervision there as, quite frankly, shocking, Roberts said. The massacre also received attention from the BBC with several articles in the last several years dealing with the vigils and the trials. Zelaya-Sorto pulls out a shank a handmade knife from inside his jumpsuit and lunges at Cook. For instance, they noted, he failed to tell prison officers after his attacker assaulted him the first time. 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. NC inmates win payouts over prison violence - Burlington Times News Lo's lawyer confirmed to Brazilian news outlet G1 on Sunday that Lo was killed Saturday at a concert in So Paulo. Then he covers his mouth. Three officers assaulted at Bertie Correctional Institution - WITN They were planning to go to that unit to settle a dispute with Cook, who belonged to a different gang. Turner, 35, a convicted murderer nicknamed Thug Life, has served most of his 21-year prison sentence. Lanesboro Correctional Institution Lanesboro Correctional Institution is located in Polkton North Carolina. 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.. 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. Roy Cooper has asked him to review the circumstances "to ensure this doesn't happen again.". Have a question about Government Services? The first inmates arrived in January 2004. The inmate who spent time with Wall Joseph Sanderlin was involved in at least two attacks at Lanesboro, Wynns attorneys say. 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. ", "The inmates literally say, 'You all are understaffed, so if we wanted to, we could overtake this prison.' Friends and family described Juan Ortiz-Castillo as very jealous of his wife, according to police. Corrections officers flocked to the scene after the stabbings, but only one shank was recovered. 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. ". English said he had gathered evidence about another prison sergeant who worked for Wall and who he suspected was bringing drugs into the prison. 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. At least eight Lanesboro officers were caught bringing in drugs, cellphones and tobacco from early 2013 to early 2017, according to law enforcement records. Contact SAP - Penitentiary Administration of So Paulo (Secretaria da Administrao Penitenciria), Brazil, Corrections in So Paulo, So Paulo Brazil. Why would you keep them there, with the risk of them getting into the hands of an inmate? she asked. They have a very difficult job Most of them do it the right way. Often, exhausted prison officers fall asleep on the job, too. 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. Bertie isn't the only state prison with staffing problems. Prosecutors later dismissed the charge because of problems with the credibility of witnesses. 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. 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.. Bridges and a prison captain searched the ceiling and found videos of prison fights, nine rods, a long metal shank and three bloody shanks. Lawsuit: Prison guards deleted beating video | wcnc.com August 2011 - Eighteen inmates assaulted staff members throughout the month. A correctional officer in the state of North Carolina was recently murdered, just one month before his wedding. 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. News anchor Fred Shropshire is leaving Charlotte station WCNC. Statewide, about 16 percent of officer positions are vacant. 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. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. But if another staff member had been standing beside the officer that morning, "there's a possibility (Mosley) would have kept walking," McCoy said. Polkton Police Chief Matthew Norris said he recovered the one shank in Walls desk drawer soon after the 2012 fight. 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. Turner lies bleeding to death on the concrete floor. 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. In 2014, a Lanesboro officer was paid $29,800 but made another $35,600 in overtime. None of the officers convicted have served their sentences. 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. Another officer suffered serious cuts to his face last month after he was assaulted by an inmate with a bladed weapon. Contact an Observer reporter: Ames Alexander | 704-358-5060 | aalexander@charlotteobserver.com, Gavin Off | 704-358-6038 | goff@charlotteobserver.com. In 2014, we reported that an inmate stabbed a prison administrator as he walked through the prison recreation yard. 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. [7], The country was in major shock from the massacre. The Associated Press contributed to this report. RALEIGH, N.C. A prison officer and two inmates were injured during a fight at Lanesboro Correctional Institution Thursday morning, state prison officials said. Ballistic evidence indicated that 515 bullets were found in the prisoners. Willis, G. D. (2002). A veteran SC attorney weighs in, Alex Murdaugh murder trial jury begins deliberations same day 1 juror is removed. "When you don't have adequate staff to manage the inmates, and there's an incident, unfortunately people can get hurt and sometimes people even die," Webster said. Seconds later, Ortiz grabs a shank from his waistband and also begins slashing Cook. It was shocking to see the place wasnt being supervised with more of the restrictions that youd expect in a prison, she said. Located in Polkton, about 45 miles east of Charlotte, Lanesboro has repeatedly drawn. Another was criminally charged with bringing heroin to a prisoner. 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. 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. Vazquez, 32, had already been serving an eight- to 10-year sentence for second-degree murder. [20] In April 2014, 15 additional policemen were sentenced to 48 years. State prison policy says weapons potential criminal evidence should be kept in a locked container in the prisons armory. "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. Vazquez repeatedly stabs Turner with a shank. All three of the Latino inmates had sharp weapons. 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. In an 11-week period in early 2016, more than 15 staff members left Lanesboro under suspicion of wrongdoing, Mitchell said. in Justice Studies and M.S. This story was originally published December 4, 2014, 6:58 PM. POLKTON, N.C. -- Authorities in North Carolina say two supervisors were stabbed and two correctional officers were assaulted with a broom handle in an attackat a state prison. Cook is unarmed. 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. State prison officials refused to say how many staff were on duty the day Callahan died. The officer noticed a gun in Walls vehicle, the letter states. 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. The indictment was unsealed today in federal court, following Blythers arrest by the FBI. Wesley Turner, a former inmate at Lanesboro Correctional Institution, was stabbed to death in a 2012 prison fight. 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. According to Bridges, Wall told authorities he kept the shanks in his office because he was planning to put them in a display that would be used to train other officers.