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News in Brief
News in Brief:
Arkansas: On February 6, 2005, real estate developer NGI Rental filed a $2 million lawsuit against sex offender Randall Collins, his wife and the real estate company that allowed the Collins to purchase their home. NGI claims that after Collins moved into the neighborhood sales stopped. The day after the Collins bought the house, police distributed flyers in the neighborhood informing residents that Randall is a convicted sex offender. The lawsuit claims residents said they would move if Collins did not leave and that sales also halted because now the developer must inform potential buyers that a sex offender lives in the area. The suit claims Collins told the developer he was willing to move in exchange for $250,000 or he would stay there and kill their subdivision.
Arkansas: On March 11, 2005, Johnnie Pruett, 27, a guard at the Paragould jail was fired and charged with battery for giving jail prisoner Darryl Bartlett, 19, a laxative after Bartlett requested cold medication. Bartlett developed severe diarrhea, vomiting and stomach pains after consuming the laxatives and during the ordeal Pruett taunted him and asked him if he needed a diaper.
California: On March 14, 2005, Erik Morales, a defendant standing trial on two counts of first degree murder in San Fernando, spat a razor blade out of his mouth during the jury trial and used it slash his lawyer Linda Wieder on the arm. The jury was removed from the courtroom. Los Angeles county Sheriff Lee Baca said the attack was disturbing and showed a need to enhance courtroom security. Morales was already classified as a high security risk during the trial. Apparently Morales disagreed with Wieders questioning of witnesses. Morales had previously surrendered to police and confessed to the two murders for which he is standing trial.
California: On March 4, 2005, William Danser, a former Santa Clara county judge who was serving a 90 day home detention sentence after being convicted in a ticket fixing scheme, was arrested and sent to jail seven days before the expiration of his sentence because he drank Nyquil cough medicine which contains alcohol. Dansers home confinement conditions prohibit him from consuming alcohol. He was required to serve the remaining seven days of the sentence in jail.
Colorado: On March 17, 2005, prisoners Stephen Crouse, 23, Jonathan Jackson, 19, and Cody Dutton, 19, escaped from the Archuleta county jail by climbing through a ventilation shaft. Crouse and Jackson were captured in Montana on March 20 as they tried to cross into Canada. They apparently stole a vehicle to go from Colorado to the Canadian border.
Connecticut: On December 31, 2004, Bruce Carrier, a former prison guard shot and killed police officer Peter Lavery, 47, who was responding to a domestic violence call at the Carriers Newington home. After a 14 hour stand off with police Carrier shot and killed himself. Connecticut DOC spokesman said Carrier had been fired as a guard in 1999.
Florida: On January 21, 2005, Rodrigus Patten, 24, was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of the 2001 strangulation murder of psychiatrist David Hoyer, 56. The murder occurred in the Collier County jail where Patten had been awaiting trial on carjacking, kidnapping, battery and robbery charges. Patten has a history of mental illness and was heavily medicated during the trial. Hoyer had been examining Patten to determine his fitness to stand trial when he was murdered. The trial judge, William Blackwell, had dismissed the death penalty charges against Patten.
Florida: On March 19, 2005, Jacqueline Santoni, 25, a guard at the Seminole county jail was arrested on charges of drivers license fraud, forgery, perjury and criminal use of a public record. Before being hired by the jail in December, 2004, she had been employed by the Florida Department of Corrections as a guard at the Central Florida Reception Center. She began a relationship with a prisoner and in order to visit the prisoner and conceal the relationship from the jail she sought state identification under a false name. Jail employees are barred from associating with convicted felons, aside from family members.
Florida: On March 4, 2005, Hernando county jail guard Louis Gregory, 38, pleaded guilty to sexual misconduct stemming from his sexual assault of a 17 year old female prisoner in the jail. He was sentenced to six months in jail. The jail is operated by the for profit Corrections Corporation of America.
Idaho: On May 24, 2004, Joel Lamm, 34, a guard at the Gooding jail was sentenced to 15 years in prison after being convicted of having sex on two occasions with a female prisoner at the jail.
Illinois: In March, 2005, Bureau of Prisons (BOP) officials announced that the population of the US Penitentiary in Marion was doubling to 900 prisoners after an expansion of the maximum security lock down prison was completed. The expansion cost $22 million.
Indiana: On March 11, 2005, Thomas Walker, 34, a prisoner at the US Penitentiary in Terre Haute, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to stabbing four guards at the prison on July 14, 2004. Walker stabbed guards Gregory Brummett, Terry Ray, Joseph Sims and Lloyd McPherson with two metal shanks while the guards were conducting searches at a metal detector in the main corridor of the prison. No reason was given for the attacks.
Kentucky: On March 14, 2005, Reginald Wilson, 37, a guard at the Atwood Prison Camp at the Federal Medical Center in Lexington was sentenced in federal court to one year of probation for having sex with a female prisoner at the prison. He pleaded guilty to one charge of sexual abuse of a ward, a misdemeanor. He was also fined $500 and ordered to pay $25 in court costs. In January, 2005, Gregory Goins, 35, another guard at the Atwood facility, was sentenced to concurrent sentences of nine years in prison for one felony charge of sexual abuse of an inmate, five years for making false statements to a federal agent and one year for eight counts of misdemeanor sexual abuse of an inmate.
Mississippi: On February 10, 2005, Vicksburg police officer Clay Griffin was fired for kneeing a shackled prisoner who allegedly made a lewd comment about Griffins wife. Griffin was working as a prisoner transfer officer and the assault occurred outside a holding cell.
New Jersey: On March 17, 2005, an unidentified man carjacked a van from a prison work detail on the Garden State Parkway and led police on a 50 mile chase during which three vehicles were struck and the driver blew out three tires before flipping over. After which the driver surrendered to police.
New York: In May, 2004, Frankie Cortes, a guard in the Bronx Criminal Court, filed suit against the city claiming that he was attacked by two female jail guards in a backroom at the courthouse and required hospitalization for his injuries. His supervisors then retaliated against him when he complained about the attack and his request that the attackers be arrested was denied and he was demoted to work at Rikers Island. Cortes noted that the female guards who attacked him were both over six feet tall and weigh approximately over 200 pounds.
New York: On July 22, 2004, Mark Mullen, 44, a guard at the Five Points Correctional Facility in Romulus, drove away from the prison in a prison vehicle, crashed the vehicle into a tractor trailer, walked away from the wreck and then shot himself dead.
New York: On March 7, 2005, Jerryl Reele, 33, a guard at the Albion Correctional Facility, pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual misconduct with a female prisoner. Reele had originally been charged with six counts of third degree rape, six counts of official misconduct and three counts of sodomy. He was also accused, but not charged, with bringing a cell phone to the prison and allowing a prisoner to use it.
New York: On November 24, 2004, Everett George, 34, a former Rikers Island jail guard shot and killed his two children, Dominic, 12, and Christina, 1. George murdered his daughter while she sat in her highchair. George forced his way into his girlfriends apartment to carry out the attack. He was arrested later that day when he checked himself into a local hospital suffering from an overdose of Zoloft, an anti depressant. The girlfriend, who had several restraining orders against George, escaped with her life because his gun jammed. George worked as a jail guard off and on between 1997 and 2000 before being fired for not showing up for work. An aspiring record producer, George had appeared in a recent episode of NYPD 24/7, a seven part ABC News documentary about New York City police officers. In the episode George is shown calling police to report an incident of domestic violence, not involving himself, and standing with police as they prepare to break down a door.
Ohio: On March 17, 2005, three Lucas county work release prisoners were hospitalized after eating jail food that contained metal shavings. The food at the jail is prepared by private contractor Aramark.
Oklahoma: On March 16, 2005, Lincoln county jail guards Kathy Hernandez, 28, Tracy Keller, 29, Jamie Freeze, 27 and Misty Simon, 28, were charged with second degree rape for having sex with male prisoners in the facility. Keller and Simon were also charged with conspiracy to distribute drugs for allegedly bringing the prisoners a pound of marijuana. Sheriffs investigators were able to bring the charges after an unidentified prisoner at the Cimarron Correctional Facility told investigators several jail guards were having sex with the prisoners and bringing drugs into the jail.
Pennsylvania: On March 10, 2005, Allegheny county jail guard Joseph Addison, 55, pleaded guilty to five counts of indecent assault, a misdemeanor. Addison admitted he offered female prisoners in the jail cigarettes (which are banned) if they showed him their breasts. Addison is the fourth guard to accept a plea out of a dozen guards charged with raping female prisoners in the jail.
Pennsylvania: On March 4, 2005, state Supreme Court justice Thomas G. Saylor Jr., paid a $750 federal fine for twice attempting to smuggle a Swiss Army pocket knife onto an airplane in February, 2005. He was caught both times.
South Africa: On March 15, 2005, Cape Town Correctional Services Minister Ngconde Balfour told parliament that the rape and throat slitting of two prison nurses at the Baviaanspoort prison near Pretoria by two juvenile prisoners was due to human lapses. The attacks occurred in the prison hospital on March 13 and the attackers were allowed through several security checkpoints to carry out the attacks. The nurses survived the attack but have severe throat injuries.
Texas: On March 16, 2005, Albert Deleon, a guard at the Guadalupe County Jail, was charged in state court with having consensual sex with a female prisoner in the medical unit of the jail. State law bans sex between prisoners and staff.
Washington: On March 15, 2005, police arrested an unidentified 31 year old prisoner at the Special Commitment Center on McNeil Island which houses the states civilly committed sex offenders, and charged him with making obscene telephone calls. The suspect is awaiting a civil commitment trial to determine if he is a sexually violent predator. The calls were traced by the phone company to the SCC after they began six months ago.
West Virginia: In early March, 2005, Preston county jail guards Gary Garlits, 53, and Robert Haught III, 26, were indicted by a state grand jury on charges that they had sex with female prisoners in their care. Haught was employed by the countys home confinement program and is accused of having sex with a woman he supervised on home confinement then later living with her. He was also charged with arson for allegedly burning down the home they had lived in. West Virginia, like most states, criminalizes sex between prisoners and staff.
Wisconsin: On November 11, 2004, four prisoners at the New Lisbon Correctional Facility armed with padlocks placed in socks attacked guards at the prison sending eight to the hospital with minor injuries. News reports did not indicate the motive for incident. Prison officials said they would review prisoner access to padlocks.
Arkansas: On February 6, 2005, real estate developer NGI Rental filed a $2 million lawsuit against sex offender Randall Collins, his wife and the real estate company that allowed the Collins to purchase their home. NGI claims that after Collins moved into the neighborhood sales stopped. The day after the Collins bought the house, police distributed flyers in the neighborhood informing residents that Randall is a convicted sex offender. The lawsuit claims residents said they would move if Collins did not leave and that sales also halted because now the developer must inform potential buyers that a sex offender lives in the area. The suit claims Collins told the developer he was willing to move in exchange for $250,000 or he would stay there and kill their subdivision.
Arkansas: On March 11, 2005, Johnnie Pruett, 27, a guard at the Paragould jail was fired and charged with battery for giving jail prisoner Darryl Bartlett, 19, a laxative after Bartlett requested cold medication. Bartlett developed severe diarrhea, vomiting and stomach pains after consuming the laxatives and during the ordeal Pruett taunted him and asked him if he needed a diaper.
California: On March 14, 2005, Erik Morales, a defendant standing trial on two counts of first degree murder in San Fernando, spat a razor blade out of his mouth during the jury trial and used it slash his lawyer Linda Wieder on the arm. The jury was removed from the courtroom. Los Angeles county Sheriff Lee Baca said the attack was disturbing and showed a need to enhance courtroom security. Morales was already classified as a high security risk during the trial. Apparently Morales disagreed with Wieders questioning of witnesses. Morales had previously surrendered to police and confessed to the two murders for which he is standing trial.
California: On March 4, 2005, William Danser, a former Santa Clara county judge who was serving a 90 day home detention sentence after being convicted in a ticket fixing scheme, was arrested and sent to jail seven days before the expiration of his sentence because he drank Nyquil cough medicine which contains alcohol. Dansers home confinement conditions prohibit him from consuming alcohol. He was required to serve the remaining seven days of the sentence in jail.
Colorado: On March 17, 2005, prisoners Stephen Crouse, 23, Jonathan Jackson, 19, and Cody Dutton, 19, escaped from the Archuleta county jail by climbing through a ventilation shaft. Crouse and Jackson were captured in Montana on March 20 as they tried to cross into Canada. They apparently stole a vehicle to go from Colorado to the Canadian border.
Connecticut: On December 31, 2004, Bruce Carrier, a former prison guard shot and killed police officer Peter Lavery, 47, who was responding to a domestic violence call at the Carriers Newington home. After a 14 hour stand off with police Carrier shot and killed himself. Connecticut DOC spokesman said Carrier had been fired as a guard in 1999.
Florida: On January 21, 2005, Rodrigus Patten, 24, was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of the 2001 strangulation murder of psychiatrist David Hoyer, 56. The murder occurred in the Collier County jail where Patten had been awaiting trial on carjacking, kidnapping, battery and robbery charges. Patten has a history of mental illness and was heavily medicated during the trial. Hoyer had been examining Patten to determine his fitness to stand trial when he was murdered. The trial judge, William Blackwell, had dismissed the death penalty charges against Patten.
Florida: On March 19, 2005, Jacqueline Santoni, 25, a guard at the Seminole county jail was arrested on charges of drivers license fraud, forgery, perjury and criminal use of a public record. Before being hired by the jail in December, 2004, she had been employed by the Florida Department of Corrections as a guard at the Central Florida Reception Center. She began a relationship with a prisoner and in order to visit the prisoner and conceal the relationship from the jail she sought state identification under a false name. Jail employees are barred from associating with convicted felons, aside from family members.
Florida: On March 4, 2005, Hernando county jail guard Louis Gregory, 38, pleaded guilty to sexual misconduct stemming from his sexual assault of a 17 year old female prisoner in the jail. He was sentenced to six months in jail. The jail is operated by the for profit Corrections Corporation of America.
Idaho: On May 24, 2004, Joel Lamm, 34, a guard at the Gooding jail was sentenced to 15 years in prison after being convicted of having sex on two occasions with a female prisoner at the jail.
Illinois: In March, 2005, Bureau of Prisons (BOP) officials announced that the population of the US Penitentiary in Marion was doubling to 900 prisoners after an expansion of the maximum security lock down prison was completed. The expansion cost $22 million.
Indiana: On March 11, 2005, Thomas Walker, 34, a prisoner at the US Penitentiary in Terre Haute, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to stabbing four guards at the prison on July 14, 2004. Walker stabbed guards Gregory Brummett, Terry Ray, Joseph Sims and Lloyd McPherson with two metal shanks while the guards were conducting searches at a metal detector in the main corridor of the prison. No reason was given for the attacks.
Kentucky: On March 14, 2005, Reginald Wilson, 37, a guard at the Atwood Prison Camp at the Federal Medical Center in Lexington was sentenced in federal court to one year of probation for having sex with a female prisoner at the prison. He pleaded guilty to one charge of sexual abuse of a ward, a misdemeanor. He was also fined $500 and ordered to pay $25 in court costs. In January, 2005, Gregory Goins, 35, another guard at the Atwood facility, was sentenced to concurrent sentences of nine years in prison for one felony charge of sexual abuse of an inmate, five years for making false statements to a federal agent and one year for eight counts of misdemeanor sexual abuse of an inmate.
Mississippi: On February 10, 2005, Vicksburg police officer Clay Griffin was fired for kneeing a shackled prisoner who allegedly made a lewd comment about Griffins wife. Griffin was working as a prisoner transfer officer and the assault occurred outside a holding cell.
New Jersey: On March 17, 2005, an unidentified man carjacked a van from a prison work detail on the Garden State Parkway and led police on a 50 mile chase during which three vehicles were struck and the driver blew out three tires before flipping over. After which the driver surrendered to police.
New York: In May, 2004, Frankie Cortes, a guard in the Bronx Criminal Court, filed suit against the city claiming that he was attacked by two female jail guards in a backroom at the courthouse and required hospitalization for his injuries. His supervisors then retaliated against him when he complained about the attack and his request that the attackers be arrested was denied and he was demoted to work at Rikers Island. Cortes noted that the female guards who attacked him were both over six feet tall and weigh approximately over 200 pounds.
New York: On July 22, 2004, Mark Mullen, 44, a guard at the Five Points Correctional Facility in Romulus, drove away from the prison in a prison vehicle, crashed the vehicle into a tractor trailer, walked away from the wreck and then shot himself dead.
New York: On March 7, 2005, Jerryl Reele, 33, a guard at the Albion Correctional Facility, pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual misconduct with a female prisoner. Reele had originally been charged with six counts of third degree rape, six counts of official misconduct and three counts of sodomy. He was also accused, but not charged, with bringing a cell phone to the prison and allowing a prisoner to use it.
New York: On November 24, 2004, Everett George, 34, a former Rikers Island jail guard shot and killed his two children, Dominic, 12, and Christina, 1. George murdered his daughter while she sat in her highchair. George forced his way into his girlfriends apartment to carry out the attack. He was arrested later that day when he checked himself into a local hospital suffering from an overdose of Zoloft, an anti depressant. The girlfriend, who had several restraining orders against George, escaped with her life because his gun jammed. George worked as a jail guard off and on between 1997 and 2000 before being fired for not showing up for work. An aspiring record producer, George had appeared in a recent episode of NYPD 24/7, a seven part ABC News documentary about New York City police officers. In the episode George is shown calling police to report an incident of domestic violence, not involving himself, and standing with police as they prepare to break down a door.
Ohio: On March 17, 2005, three Lucas county work release prisoners were hospitalized after eating jail food that contained metal shavings. The food at the jail is prepared by private contractor Aramark.
Oklahoma: On March 16, 2005, Lincoln county jail guards Kathy Hernandez, 28, Tracy Keller, 29, Jamie Freeze, 27 and Misty Simon, 28, were charged with second degree rape for having sex with male prisoners in the facility. Keller and Simon were also charged with conspiracy to distribute drugs for allegedly bringing the prisoners a pound of marijuana. Sheriffs investigators were able to bring the charges after an unidentified prisoner at the Cimarron Correctional Facility told investigators several jail guards were having sex with the prisoners and bringing drugs into the jail.
Pennsylvania: On March 10, 2005, Allegheny county jail guard Joseph Addison, 55, pleaded guilty to five counts of indecent assault, a misdemeanor. Addison admitted he offered female prisoners in the jail cigarettes (which are banned) if they showed him their breasts. Addison is the fourth guard to accept a plea out of a dozen guards charged with raping female prisoners in the jail.
Pennsylvania: On March 4, 2005, state Supreme Court justice Thomas G. Saylor Jr., paid a $750 federal fine for twice attempting to smuggle a Swiss Army pocket knife onto an airplane in February, 2005. He was caught both times.
South Africa: On March 15, 2005, Cape Town Correctional Services Minister Ngconde Balfour told parliament that the rape and throat slitting of two prison nurses at the Baviaanspoort prison near Pretoria by two juvenile prisoners was due to human lapses. The attacks occurred in the prison hospital on March 13 and the attackers were allowed through several security checkpoints to carry out the attacks. The nurses survived the attack but have severe throat injuries.
Texas: On March 16, 2005, Albert Deleon, a guard at the Guadalupe County Jail, was charged in state court with having consensual sex with a female prisoner in the medical unit of the jail. State law bans sex between prisoners and staff.
Washington: On March 15, 2005, police arrested an unidentified 31 year old prisoner at the Special Commitment Center on McNeil Island which houses the states civilly committed sex offenders, and charged him with making obscene telephone calls. The suspect is awaiting a civil commitment trial to determine if he is a sexually violent predator. The calls were traced by the phone company to the SCC after they began six months ago.
West Virginia: In early March, 2005, Preston county jail guards Gary Garlits, 53, and Robert Haught III, 26, were indicted by a state grand jury on charges that they had sex with female prisoners in their care. Haught was employed by the countys home confinement program and is accused of having sex with a woman he supervised on home confinement then later living with her. He was also charged with arson for allegedly burning down the home they had lived in. West Virginia, like most states, criminalizes sex between prisoners and staff.
Wisconsin: On November 11, 2004, four prisoners at the New Lisbon Correctional Facility armed with padlocks placed in socks attacked guards at the prison sending eight to the hospital with minor injuries. News reports did not indicate the motive for incident. Prison officials said they would review prisoner access to padlocks.
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