11-22 APRIL 1993
Chicago Tribune. Evening Edition. 12 April 1993. Page 1.
Officials cut off power and water to about 500 inmates in a state prison in Lucasville Ohio, Monday to try to quell an insurrection that left six prisoners dead and eight guards held hostage.
Rebellious inmates at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility demanded to talk to the news media about what led to the Sunday uprising but officials insisted negotiations continue with them.
The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction said that one interview was granted to a pool reporter early Monday as part of the negotiations.
Officials said that inmates had issued a list of 19 demands, mostly relating to changes in prison rules.
At least 18 other people were injured in the uprising Sunday at the maximum security facility.
They included 10 guards and eight inmates, said Kornegay, spokeswoman for the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.
Five of the dead were handed over to authorities overnight. The sixth body was thrown through a cellblock door into hallway at mid-morning Monday, Kornegay said.
Eight guards were still being held, said Drake, a spokeswoman for the Department in Columbus, "and they have reported they are fine, though we cannot visually see them."
Drake said the section of the prison involved houses about 500 inmates and it has been sealed off from the rest of the complex, which in all is home to 1,819 prisoners described by officials as some of the most dangerous in the state.
The incident apparently began as a spontaneous riot when inmates fought and guards were called in to put down the disturbance.
The inmates who died were beaten to death by fellow prisoners, officials said.
Tulsa World - 1993 - Article with Citation
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Headline: Guards Hurt, Others Taken Hostage in Ohio Prison Riot
Date: April 12, 1993 Edition: FINAL EDITION
Page: A4 Word Count: 297
Section: NEWS
Author: AP
Text:
LUCASVILLE, Ohio (AP) - Inmates rioted Sunday at a maximum
security prison in south-central Ohio, injuring at least
seven guards and taking others hostage, authorities said.
It wasn't immediately known how many guards were being held
or how many prisoners were involved in the disturbance at
the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility, said Sharron Kornegay,
spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.
Scioto County Sheriff's Senior Dispatcher Phil Malone described
the disturbance as a "full-scale riot" at the prison,
which houses some of the state's most dangerous inmates.
The injured guards were taken to the Southern Ohio Medical
Center in Portsmouth, about 10 miles to the south. Hospital
spokeswoman Sally Schifler declined to provide information
on their conditions.
The disturbance at the L Block started about 3 p.m. Sunday
with a few prisoners, but other prisoners became involved,
Kornegay said. The unit houses about 761 prisoners, but
not all were involved, she said.
The remainder of the prisoners and staff were safe, Kornegay said.
Riot control teams from other prisons and the State Highway
Patrol were at the prison, which holds about 3,000 inmates,
she said. No escapes have been reported.
Traffic about a half-mile from the 1,900-acre prison was
detoured by the State Highway Patrol.
The last disturbance at the prison, which was built in 1972,
occurred in October 1985 when five inmates held two guards
hostage for about 15 hours. A teacher visiting the prison
was killed in June 1990 and an inmate was stabbed to death
in September 1990.
Copyright 1993 Tulsa World. World Publishing Co.
Accession Number: TUL383604
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Tulsa World - 1993 - Article with Citation
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Headline: Guards Taken Hostage, 13 Injured in Ohio Prison Riot
Date: April 12, 1993 Edition: FINAL HOME EDITION
Page: A4 Word Count: 393
Section: NEWS
Author: AP
Text:
LUCASVILLE, Ohio (AP) - A fight among inmates escalated
into a riot Sunday at a maximum security prison in south-central
Ohio, with prisoners taking at least nine guards hostage,
authorities said. At least 13 people were injured, including
nine guards and four inmates, they said.
One guard, who was being held hostage, was rescued when
prison officials and the State Highway Patrol took back
the recreation yard around 10 p.m., about seven hours after the
outbreak.
"The inmates in the yard did not want to be involved so
there was little to no resistance," said Sharron Kornegay,
spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and
Correction. No shots were fired, she said.
An inmate and the released officer had been injured, apparently
in the melee earlier. The extent of their injuries was not
immediately known. The inmate was taken into custody, authorities
said.
Authorities would not say how many prisoners were involved
in the disturbance at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility.
Scioto County Sheriff's Senior Dispatcher Phil Malone described
the disturbance as a "full-scale riot" at the prison,
which houses some of the state's most dangerous inmates.
The Department of Rehabilitation and Correction issued a
statement that said "a group of inmates started a fight
and a group of correctional officers responded."
The injured guards were taken to the Southern Ohio Medical
Center in Portsmouth, about 10 miles to the south. Hospital
spokeswoman Tessa Urwin said six of the officers were treated
and released, and the seventh was being treated for a broken
arm. She gave no details on the other injuries.
The disturbance at the L Block started about 3 p.m. Sunday
with a few prisoners, but other prisoners became involved,
Kornegay said. The unit houses about 761 prisoners, but
not all were involved, she said.
The remainder of the prisoners and staff were safe, Kornegay said.
The inmates, who were talking with negotiators, asked to
appear on a live broadcast on Columbus television station
WBNS, said Sgt. David Thompson of the State Highway Patrol.
They said they might free the hostages if allowed the broadcast,
he said.
Copyright 1993 Tulsa World. World Publishing Co.
Accession Number: TUL383605
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Tulsa World - 1993 - Article with Citation
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Headline: End to Prison Riot Possible, Officials Say
Date: April 18, 1993 Edition: FINAL HOME EDITION
Page: A8 Word Count: 556
Section: NEWS
Author: AP
Text:
LUCASVILLE, Ohio (AP) - A TV crew and still photographer
were summoned Saturday to a maximum-security prison held
for nearly a week by rebellious inmates. Officials said
an end to the stalemate was possible but not assured.
Dayton police Sgt. Frank Navarre, a negotiator, said Saturday
morning that Southern Ohio Correctional Facility inmates
hadn't yet agreed to surrender but had negotiated terms
of the news coverage of any such development.
Tessa Unwin of the Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections,
said a possible surrender "could take five minutes or all
day." On Friday, she had said negotiations with inmates
had made "significant progress" in recent days.
Inmates have demanded amnesty for the riot, the replacement
of Warden Arthur Tate, religious freedom for Muslim inmates
and freer telephone and visitor privileges.
Saturday morning, a television truck and crew and a still
photographer entered the prison compound. The prisoners
had wanted cameras in an apparent effort to ensure whatever
happened would be peaceful, officials said.
The siege at the prison began April 11. Inmates still held
five guards captive after releasing one hostage Thursday
and a second Friday when they were allowed to give broadcast
statements.
Seven inmates and one guard have died in the rebellion,
authorities said. But The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer, quoting
unidentified legislative and law enforcement sources, reported
there were at least 19 more bodies inside the prison. The
paper said an inmate involved in the rioting described the
scene as "carnage."
Reginald Wilkinson, state corrections director, said more
deaths were possible, but none had been confirmed, the newspaper
said.
The newspaper also said its law enforcement source said
hostages in the prison, which may include inmates as well
as five guards, were in worse shape than authorities have
said publicly.
But Darrold Clark Jr., 23, the hostage who was released
Thursday night, released a statement Friday saying the other
hostages were treated well. Clark urged officials to turn
on water and electricity, which are among the inmates' demands.
"My heart is with the hostages and the inmates, and I send
my sincere appreciation for all those who took care of me
- all inmates of all races and all religions."
On Friday, hostage guard James A. Demons, 26, was freed
after an inmate who identified himself as Abdul Samad Mulin
spoke for 10 minutes on television, demanding amnesty and
religious rights for Muslim prisoners.
He said Warden Arthur Tate had threatened to force Muslim
inmates to undergo "tuberculosis testing by injection which
is forbidden" by their beliefs.
Clark and Demons were hospitalized in good condition.
Mulin said the inmates are also demanding that there be
no punishment of inmates involved in the riot and that Muslim
prisoners be allowed to wear prayer caps, be given kosher
meals and have their Islamic dress acknowledged.
On behalf of the general prison population, he asked that
nepotism be eliminated; that forced integration of cells
be stopped; and that they be allowed to make more phone
calls and receive more visitors.
Copyright 1993 Tulsa World. World Publishing Co.
Accession Number: TUL384550
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Tulsa World - 1993 - Article with Citation
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Headline: Inmates End Standoff
5 Guards Freed
Date: April 22, 1993 Edition: FINAL HOME EDITION
Page: A1 Word Count: 512
Section: NEWS
Author: AP
Text:
LUCASVILLE, Ohio (AP) - An 11-day siege in a maximum-security
prison ended late Wednesday after 450 inmates surrendered
and released the last five guards they had held hostage.
Seven inmates and one hostage had died in the uprising that
began on Easter Sunday at the maximum-security Southern
Ohio Correctional Facility. The inmates initially took eight
guards hostage; one was strangled and two were freed unharmed
last week.
The remaining five hostages were released shortly before
10:30 p.m. Wednesday, said Jim Mayers of the state Department
of Rehabilitation and Correction. They were admitted to
a hospital and were in stable condition.
In exchange for peaceful surrender, state officials promised
to review the inmates' complaints, including religious objections
to tuberculosis testing and a federal law that requires
integration of prison cells.
The first of the 450 barricaded inmates began giving up
at about 4 p.m. Initially, they emerged one by one; by evening
they were coming out in groups of 60 to 80. The last inmates
emerged from their cellblock at 10:40 p.m., said prison
spokeswoman Judy Drake.
Meanwhile, in Newtown, Conn., inmates attacked other prisoners
and guards, and 90 inmates holed up in a state prison recreation
area Wednesday night. Officials were negotiating with them.
Fifteen inmates and three guards were reported injured,
one of the inmates seriously.
The Ohio prison, 80 miles south of Columbus, houses the
state's most dangerous criminals. Three of the prisoners
were carried out of barricaded Cellblock L on stretchers;
three used crutches.
Some others were handcuffed, others carried large bags with
their belongings as they walked through a courtyard guarded
by a line of armed officers. The inmates were taken to a
gymnasium in an adjacent cellblock where they were identified,
searched and given a new set of clothes, said Sgt. John
Born of the State Highway Patrol.
The surrender was witnessed by religious leaders and reporters.
Throughout the standoff, inmates demanded that the media
witness a surrender, to discourage authorities from retaliating.
Department officials identified the released guards as Richard
C. Buffington 45; Kenneth L. Daniels, 24; Larry Dotson,
45; Michael Hensley, 36; and Jeffrey Ratcliff, 26.
"This entire ordeal has been an incredible experience for us all,"
Warden Arthur Tate said. "Nevertheless, I am extremely proud thus
far at the manner in which everyone has joined together in an attempt
to bring this tragic ordeal to a successful conclusion."
On Tuesday, three inmates and state negotiators met face-to-face
for the first time, talking for two hours from opposite
sides of a chain-link fence. Niki Schwartz, an inmate-rights
lawyer who was brought to the prison on Sunday by state
officials, also took part.
"We are thrilled to announce the peaceful resolution of
this crisis," Schwartz said.
Copyright 1993 Tulsa World. World Publishing Co.
Accession Number: TUL385148
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