By C1 Staff
MCKINLEY COUNTY, NM — Recently released security footage from the McKinley Detention Center shows inmates protesting needed plumbing fixes by setting their mattresses on fire.
Jail officials said the inmates needed to be moved in order to inspect and repair sections of the jail’s plumbing, according to KOAT. The inmates became unruly during the transport process.
Inmates began to pile their mattresses in a corner and lit them on fire with what jail officials believe to be contraband. Some inmates tried to obscure the security camera by throwing wet toilet paper at it.
“The camera was covered until we were able to get in there really the next day and get the ladder in to clean it off,” a McKinley County attorney said.
Police shot tear gas into the pod to quell the inmates and the fire was extinguished.
At least two inmates now face charges, and two jail employees were disciplined in connection with the incident, but the county won’t give details.
“There were some violations of policy that were found to have occurred,” the attorney said. “Such as how the contraband got in.”