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News in Brief:
Arizona: On December 19, 2008, Damon Rossi, 38, a criminal defense attorney, was arrested at home for allegedly giving his client a piece of candy during a trial in Yavapai superior court. His client was a jail prisoner in shackles. Sheriff’s spokesman Dwight D’Evelyn said the jail prohibits giving prisoners food and that Rossi was warned not to feed his client and responded “what are you going to do, arrest me?”
Arizona: On January 15, 2009, a federal Bureau of Prisons bus was hit by another vehicle which left the scene. Eight prisoners were treated for minor injuries.
Arizona: On November 8, 2008, Juan Nunez, 39, a guard at the Corrections Corporation of America run Central Arizona Detention Center was charged in federal court with accepting bribes from an unidentified prisoner to smuggle cocaine into the prison. Nunez met with an undercover FBI agent and received $1,600 and a half ounce of cocaine and agreed to smuggle the drug into the prison.
Florida: On December 15, 2008, Calhoun county jail guard William Strawn pleaded no contest to bribery and solicitation of prostitution charges. Strawn was videotaped propositioning former jail prisoner Lisa Vaughn for sexual favors whereby he would give her jailed husband favorable treatment. Two weeks earlier, Strawn had pleaded no contest to two charges of sexual misconduct for extorting sex from two female jail prisoners he was transporting back to the Liberty county jail. For both charges he received five years probation, to run concurrently, and agreed to surrender his law enforcement license.
Germany: On November 21, 2008, an unidentified 42-year-old Turkish prisoner escaped from the Willich prison by hiding inside a box which was then carried outside the prison’s industrial area where he cut himself out of the box and jumped off the truck to freedom.
Indiana: On December 30, 2008, Joseph Neill, the maintenance supervisor at the Pendleton Correctional Facility, was stabbed ten times in the leg and lower body by prisoner Jeffrey Treadway, 49. Neill was stabbed for having filed a disciplinary report against Treadway for theft.
Iowa: On November 9, 2008, Dallas county parole officer Lance Summers was ordered by an appeals court to begin serving a five year sentence after he was convicted of stealing supervision fees and fines from probationers and parolees.
New Mexico: On November 13, 2008, Tobias Rodriguez, 30; Casey Young, 29; Erika Jimenez, 28; Gabriel Flores, 20 and John Amador, 32, guards at the Grant County Detention Center in Silver City, were charged with forcing 8 jail prisoners to fight in boxing matches which were then recorded. At least one prisoner was knocked unconscious and one suffered a broken hand during fights that occurred on September 13 and 14, 2008. The guards were charged with kidnapping and conspiracy to commit kidnapping. The guards apparently bet on the fights where the prisoners wore boxing gloves, but no protective gear. Prisoners were rewarded with cigarettes. The guards recorded the fights using cell phones which are now being used as evidence against them.
Oklahoma: The state department of health solicited bids from companies to operate a special nursing home for convicted sex offenders but received none. In July, 2008, Oklahoma enacted a law requiring the state to build a special nursing home for sex offenders, purportedly to make other nursing homes “safer” despite the absence of any known risk from elderly people who have at some point in their lives been convicted of sex offenses.
Texas: Chris Saunier, a guard at the Denton county jail, was placed on restricted duty at the jail after he told jail prisoner Aruto Ntel, 25, who was arrested on an outstanding warrant when pulled over for speeding while on his way to vote, that he would release him if he voted for John McCain that day. Ntel was released on bond later that day when a friend posted the $187 bail and then voted for Barack Obama.
Texas: On November 14, 2008, Emmanuel Cassio, a guard at the Val Verde Correctional facility, was sentenced to 16 months in federal prison for punching a prisoner.
Texas: On November 16, 2008, Benjamin Franklin, 30, a guard at the West Texas Detention Facility, was charged with first degree murder for shooting Monica Beasley.
Virginia: On January 10 and 11, 2009, 41 visitors to the Coffeewood Correctional Center in Mitchells were arrested in a prison and police sting operation. 15 visitors had suspended drivers licenses; 13 had drugs or paraphernalia; 8 had liquor or beer; four had firearms or ammunition and one had false identification.
Wisconsin: On November 11, 2008, Terrance Davis, a prisoner at the Fox Lake Correctional Institution, allegedly attacked two prison guards with a hammer in the prison’s furniture shop industrial area. Davis was convicted of killing two Milwaukee policemen in 1985.
Arizona: On January 15, 2009, a federal Bureau of Prisons bus was hit by another vehicle which left the scene. Eight prisoners were treated for minor injuries.
Arizona: On November 8, 2008, Juan Nunez, 39, a guard at the Corrections Corporation of America run Central Arizona Detention Center was charged in federal court with accepting bribes from an unidentified prisoner to smuggle cocaine into the prison. Nunez met with an undercover FBI agent and received $1,600 and a half ounce of cocaine and agreed to smuggle the drug into the prison.
Florida: On December 15, 2008, Calhoun county jail guard William Strawn pleaded no contest to bribery and solicitation of prostitution charges. Strawn was videotaped propositioning former jail prisoner Lisa Vaughn for sexual favors whereby he would give her jailed husband favorable treatment. Two weeks earlier, Strawn had pleaded no contest to two charges of sexual misconduct for extorting sex from two female jail prisoners he was transporting back to the Liberty county jail. For both charges he received five years probation, to run concurrently, and agreed to surrender his law enforcement license.
Germany: On November 21, 2008, an unidentified 42-year-old Turkish prisoner escaped from the Willich prison by hiding inside a box which was then carried outside the prison’s industrial area where he cut himself out of the box and jumped off the truck to freedom.
Indiana: On December 30, 2008, Joseph Neill, the maintenance supervisor at the Pendleton Correctional Facility, was stabbed ten times in the leg and lower body by prisoner Jeffrey Treadway, 49. Neill was stabbed for having filed a disciplinary report against Treadway for theft.
Iowa: On November 9, 2008, Dallas county parole officer Lance Summers was ordered by an appeals court to begin serving a five year sentence after he was convicted of stealing supervision fees and fines from probationers and parolees.
New Mexico: On November 13, 2008, Tobias Rodriguez, 30; Casey Young, 29; Erika Jimenez, 28; Gabriel Flores, 20 and John Amador, 32, guards at the Grant County Detention Center in Silver City, were charged with forcing 8 jail prisoners to fight in boxing matches which were then recorded. At least one prisoner was knocked unconscious and one suffered a broken hand during fights that occurred on September 13 and 14, 2008. The guards were charged with kidnapping and conspiracy to commit kidnapping. The guards apparently bet on the fights where the prisoners wore boxing gloves, but no protective gear. Prisoners were rewarded with cigarettes. The guards recorded the fights using cell phones which are now being used as evidence against them.
Oklahoma: The state department of health solicited bids from companies to operate a special nursing home for convicted sex offenders but received none. In July, 2008, Oklahoma enacted a law requiring the state to build a special nursing home for sex offenders, purportedly to make other nursing homes “safer” despite the absence of any known risk from elderly people who have at some point in their lives been convicted of sex offenses.
Texas: Chris Saunier, a guard at the Denton county jail, was placed on restricted duty at the jail after he told jail prisoner Aruto Ntel, 25, who was arrested on an outstanding warrant when pulled over for speeding while on his way to vote, that he would release him if he voted for John McCain that day. Ntel was released on bond later that day when a friend posted the $187 bail and then voted for Barack Obama.
Texas: On November 14, 2008, Emmanuel Cassio, a guard at the Val Verde Correctional facility, was sentenced to 16 months in federal prison for punching a prisoner.
Texas: On November 16, 2008, Benjamin Franklin, 30, a guard at the West Texas Detention Facility, was charged with first degree murder for shooting Monica Beasley.
Virginia: On January 10 and 11, 2009, 41 visitors to the Coffeewood Correctional Center in Mitchells were arrested in a prison and police sting operation. 15 visitors had suspended drivers licenses; 13 had drugs or paraphernalia; 8 had liquor or beer; four had firearms or ammunition and one had false identification.
Wisconsin: On November 11, 2008, Terrance Davis, a prisoner at the Fox Lake Correctional Institution, allegedly attacked two prison guards with a hammer in the prison’s furniture shop industrial area. Davis was convicted of killing two Milwaukee policemen in 1985.
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