Associated Press
Also read: Indiana prison riot under investigation, alert system not used
PENDLETON, Ind. — Officials are beginning to lift a lockdown at the Pendleton Correctional Facility that was imposed after inmates took over one of the maximum security prison’s housing units.
Pendleton Superintendent Stanley Knight said in a news release that officials began easing the lockdown about noon Monday.
Authorities locked down the maximum security prison Friday night after some offenders upset over an earlier lockdown took over a housing unit, the release said. Indiana Department of Correction emergency response teams restored order after about two hours.
Inmates damaged tables and ceiling tiles, broke some windows and destroyed some mirrors in the restroom area. Some inmates set a fire that resulted in smoke damage, the release said.
One inmate received a head laceration when he was taken hostage by two other offenders, officials said, and another inmate suffered minor cuts and bruises when he went through a dorm window and dropped to the ground. Both were treated at the prison. None of the staff at the prison east of Indianapolis were injured.
Damage to the housing unit was estimated at about $12,000.
Officials said a new automated telephone service intended to alert citizens of escapes and other emergencies at state prisons wasn’t used because the disturbance didn’t pose a threat to the outside community.
“That particular situation didn’t rise to the level of requiring activation of that system,” said prison spokesman Neil Potter.
Authorities said they have identified four inmates who were the main instigators in the disturbance and they had been segregated from other prisoners during the investigation by internal affairs and state police. Those inmates could face charges including attempted murder, criminal confinement and rioting, the release said.