By Michael D. Abernethy
The Times-News
GRAHAM, N.C. — The same day the wrong inmate walked out of the Alamance County jail, a visiting Superior Court judge opined to a jury that inmates here “run the jail.”
Superior Court Judge Donald Stephens made the comments to the jury in an assault trial after those men and women heard evidence of an assault that allegedly occurred between two inmates in the jail. The jury found Duane Curtis Bond, 44, of 510 Maymount Drive, Durham, not guilty of committing assault inflicting serious bodily injury.
Evidence in the case included surveillance video captured in a common area inside the jail. The footage showed several inmates going into and coming out of a cell where the victim said the assault occurred, but it didn’t capture any physical altercation.
Stephens called the evidence “eye-opening.”
“From the circumstances, it looks like the inmates run the jail,” he told the jury. “I assure you, in Wake County, inmates don’t run the jail. There is no place where cameras wouldn’t capture” inmate activities. “Inmates are assigned to a cell.”
The judge’s statements occurred Tuesday, the same day Robert Earl Riddle III, 23, of 1711 Brown Lovett Lane, Lot E, Burlington, left the jail pretending to be another inmate whose bond had been posted. Riddle was apprehended later that day and charged with escaping a county confinement facility.
Taylor Harden Jr., 25, of 6468 Preacher Roberson Road, Graham, was charged Thursday with misdemeanor aiding and abetting the improper release of Riddle.
ALAMANCE COUNTY Sheriff’s Office spokesman Randy Jones said he wasn’t familiar with the assault case, but that the jail meets federal and state requirements for detention facilities.
“I would respect a Superior Court judge’s opinion, but I don’t know what he’s referring to,” Jones said.
Jones said that activities inside cells wouldn’t be captured by cameras, and that he didn’t think cameras would be allowed to capture that activity based on privacy rights. Inmates’ toilet facilities are in their cells, Jones said, and male and female detention officers have to review surveillance footage for male and female inmates.
“I have never seen a system that shows the inside of the cells,” Jones said. “The detention facility we have now is state of the art.”
Jones said “blind spots” could exist in filmed surveillance of cellblock common areas and hallways, but he also said no surveillance system is able to capture every single area from multiple angles.
Inmates are grouped into cellblocks based on their status and the categories of their alleged crimes. During the day, they are able to use the common areas, which have TVs, tables and pay phones. At night, they are locked into their cells.
Jones said 23-hour-a-day lockdown is reserved for the most violent, uncooperative prisoners.
“I’m a real law-and-order guy, but I don’t think a guy awaiting trial on a (breaking and entering charge) should have to spend 23 hours a day in his cell,” Jones said.
In certain areas of the jail, officers watch inmates from an area known as “the tower,” an enclosed, elevated room where they can watch the cellblocks around them and review surveillance throughout the jail in real time on multiple screens. Using the surveillance system, they can zoom in on inmate activities that arouse their suspicion.
“Could we use more cameras? Sure,” Jones said. “In a perfect world, we’d like to have 10 more jailers on every shift and more cameras.”
Jones couldn’t recall times in the past when additional surveillance was added or blind spots were discovered in the jail’s security system.
BOND’S TRIAL ON Tuesday was for events that allegedly occurred Feb. 1 in Block S inside the jail. He was originally charged with felony assault inflicting serious bodily injury of Warren Nester, who warrants said had a bruised left eye, a broken nose, a busted lip, and contusions on his head.
Photographs of Nester’s injuries were entered into evidence in the trial. Two detention officers, Nester and Joanna Peavey, a nurse contracted to work at the jail, testified in the case. Bond also testified.
During the trial, Stephens dismissed the felony charge and left the jury to determine whether Bond was guilty of the lesser misdemeanor, assault inflicting serious bodily injury.
The jury deliberated about two hours Tuesday before delivering the “not guilty” verdict.
After the trial, defense attorney Jeff Connolly said the surveillance video validated Bond’s version of events.
“It is apparent that Mr. Nester sustained serious injuries, but the evidence in this case did not show that Duane Bond caused those injuries,” Connolly said.
Connolly said that Bond was willing to take a plea to the crime in exchange for time served -- even in the midst of the trial -- but that Alamance County Assistant District Attorney Craig Thompson wouldn’t accept the plea.