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. RALEIGH, N.C. A prison officer and two inmates were injured during a fight at Lanesboro Correctional Institution Thursday morning, state prison officials said. Forensic tests did not tie any of the shanks in Walls ceiling to the attacks on Turner, according to Bridges, the SBI agent. He was not asked to explain why. 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. 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. But prison officials did release the monthly figures, which show that the prison had 211 officers available to work in April. "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. "You can only spread people so thin," she said. [24] Consequently, the prosecutor is initiating an appeal and the process remains ongoing. 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. He stares into the office for a few moments before walking away. State prison policy says weapons potential criminal evidence should be kept in a locked container in the prisons armory. Turner reportedly belonged to the same gang as Cook and was trying to go to his defense. 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. Multiple attempts to reach Wall and Peguese including visits to their last known addresses in Anson County were unsuccessful. 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. (Parsons) told me I couldnt say anything about another sergeant bringing in marijuana, Wilburn testified. The Observer repeatedly tried to reach Wall to discuss the Turner murder and the lawsuit allegations. He said I could face an EEO (Equal Employment Opportunity) complaint for making false accusations.. I didnt have enough cooperation to connect the dots, she said. Other former Lanesboro inmates also say that corrections officers have made a dangerous environment more so. ". Your morale goes down," she said. Officers said excessive overtime work can leave them burned out and exhausted. Cook, the target of the 2012 attack, was released from prison in March. The officer who opened the door for the three convicted inmates told SBI agents he did so because he thought the prisoners were returning to their unit following a meal. The 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. But minutes later, they are walking through a prison hallway with weapons, headed for a fight. programs we write about. Meggan Callahan was killed there allegedly by an inmate who beat her to death with a fire extinguisher. He would not discuss the lawsuit or his testimony with an Observer reporter. State prison leaders say they are holding many hiring events and partnering with schools and military bases to fill jobs. From a common area, Cook can see Zelaya-Sorto and Ortiz the prisoners who have just met with Wall. On the morning of Sept. 28, 2012, the day that Turner was stabbed to death, there were rumors of potential violence. Zelaya-Sorto pulls out a shank a handmade knife from inside his jumpsuit and lunges at Cook. Walls dismissal letter, obtained by The Observer, states that he had hidden bloody weapons in the ceiling of his old office. Lanesboro Correctional Institution houses about 1,800 inmates in close, medium and minimum custody. Reach reporter Imari Scarbrough at 704-994-5471 and follow her on Twitter @ImariScarbrough. Strong of the FBIs Charlotte Field Office, joins U.S. Attorney Murray in making the announcement. Hands among the dead were found in front of the face or behind the head suggesting defensive positions. In a court filing, Wall said he never facilitated attacks. 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. Bertie now houses about 935 inmates. A federal lawsuit, filed last month by five former Lanesboro inmates, alleges that corrections officers helped gang members wage attacks against other inmates. Officers often find that they may become targets outside of the work place for incidents that began inside the jails and prisons in which they work. He pleads with two other inmates to lend him a weapon. Parsons, now retired, testified Tuesday that during his time at Lanesboro, he took a number of steps to reduce violence and keep weapons out of the hands of inmates. His attorney, Joseph Ledford, wouldnt discuss his case and said he advised his client not to talk. The defendant is innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt in a court of law. 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. English said he had gathered evidence about another prison sergeant who worked for Wall and who he suspected was bringing drugs into the prison. Located in Polkton, about 45 miles east of Charlotte, Lanesboro has repeatedly drawn scrutiny after violence, contraband smuggling and allegations of improper conduct by corrections officers. In 2014, we reported that an inmate stabbed a prison administrator as he walked through the prison recreation yard. The Killing Consensus: Homicide Detectives, Police that Kill and Organized Crime in Sio Paulo, Brazil. The staffing shortages also put officers in danger, Smith said. [15] The surviving gang members joined forces with other prisoners to provide protection against the police. He got the nickname Ghost Face as the only white kid hanging out in a Durham housing project. Murder probe exposes more problems at Lanesboro prison, Former SC governor, Trump ally Nikki Haley coming to Myrtle Beach as she runs for president, Fort Mill just named its top teachers and staff members for 2023. 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. 1992 military police killing of prisoners in Brazil, Act in memoriam of 111 prisoners dead in the incident. 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. 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. A correctional officer in the state of North Carolina was recently murdered, just one month before his wedding. Soon afterward, he contacted a Lanesboro employee, asking her to retrieve the contraband from the ceiling of his old office, his dismissal letter states. Are there more visitors than ever in Bradenton, Sarasota as peak season approaches? 111 Killed When Police Storm Brazilian Prison During Inmate Riot. The New York Times. Bridges, 46, a North Carolina State graduate and former Concord police officer, was familiar with Lanesboro. 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. Wynn, who also took the stand Tuesday, testified that some inmates simply walked around prison metal detectors. They have a very difficult job Most of them do it the right way. He said hes haunted by Turners murder and has branded the letters of his best friends nickname into his right side. The case was brought before the inter-American Commission by The Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL), the Teotnio Vilela Commission for Human Rights, and Human Rights Watch, and in 2000, eight years after the massacre, they condemned Brazil for it. Officers and prisoners say he had a reputation for doing favors for gang members. - 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. Inmates at this prison are kept under close watch and have committed very serious crimes. Richard Dwyer, a prisoner at Lanesboro Correctional Institution, died Aug. 17 of an apparent suicide, a state Department of Public Safety news release said. Experts said that better staffing at the prison likely would have meant more eyes and ears on what inmates were doing, faster response times and more officers on the scene. 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. Another officer suffered serious cuts to his face last month after he was assaulted by an inmate with a bladed weapon. Three correctional officers were assaulted late last week at the same state prison where an officer was killed two years ago. Now comes the gesture. In January, police and prosecutors teamed up with the prisons new administrator, John Herring, to begin criminally charging inmates caught with weapons. Many listings are from partners who compensate us, which may influence which The North Carolina . In 2012, an inmate filed a federal lawsuit alleging that Lanesboro corrections officers cracked his skull with a baton and then destroyed a surveillance video that showed the assault. Ortiz, the inmate charged in that stabbing, said his weapon was a plastic toilet bowl cleaner with a sharpened end. 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. [10] He was in charge of the special police unit ROTA that is known for having an aggressive approach to civil disturbance. [16] The group is believed to be responsible for the death of Jos Ismael Pedrosa, the director of the prison at the time. Among them: a manager suspected of being too close to inmates. Ballistic evidence indicated that 515 bullets were found in the prisoners. "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. Theyre within feet of an officer who controls the locked door to the block. 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. Both inmates are members of MS-13, a powerful Latino gang. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. They are joined by a third Latino gang member, Gregorio Vazquez, who is in prison for second-degree murder. An officer at the gate house said Wall was upset and had a gun visible in his car, which violates prison policy. "We've got to find a way to retain the people who work for us," Guice said. An investigation by The Charlotte Observer last year found that state prison policies and management failures allow corruption and violence to thrive. 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. Do you want to share documents or information about the North Carolina prisons? ", NC prison was understaffed when Sgt. State prison leaders refused requests for all surveillance videos that show incidents in which Wall is accused of helping inmates wage attacks. You're tired. Zelaya-Sorto did reply to the Observer, but wrote only: Este caso esta serado This case is closed.. 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. The massacre also received attention from the BBC with several articles in the last several years dealing with the vigils and the trials. Peguese resigned from the system in May 2013, while he was under investigation, said Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Pamela Walker. But by that time, the officer was already bleeding profusely. Roberts and Jeremy Smith, the state-appointed lawyers who represented Vazquez, said they watched prison surveillance video taken on the day Turner was killed and learned the following: Around lunchtime on Sept. 28, 2012, Ortiz and Zelaya-Sorto, along with one or two inmates who were members of a gang called the United Blood Nation, were in an administrative office with Wall and an assistant unit manager. In 2017, The New York Times published an article captioned "Brazils Deadly Prison System". Now two NC men face prison. Three weeks later, Wall was fired. And we don't have enough staff to fight back.". The first inmates arrived in January 2004. It's unclear whether better staffing would have saved Callahan's life. 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.. ANSON COUNTY, NC (WBTV) - One inmate is dead andanother injured after an incident at a state prison in Anson County. Some family members believe that the murder may have been connected to an incident that occurred at a convenience store earlier in the week. A lock ( This morning, Turner had warned Cook that Latino gang members planned to create trouble between the Bloods and the Folks. That was one of three times inmates attacked Mitchell. "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. One prisoner alleges that Wall ran a violent, contraband-driven fiefdom.. [14] 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. 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. WINDSOR, NC (Ames Alexander and Gavin Off/The Charlotte Observer) - Bertie Correctional Institution was understaffed the month that Sgt. "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.