“When you get several [inmates] that are high or intoxicated, it can get out of hand real quick.”
By HEATHER WELLS
Idaho Falls Post Register
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — A Sunday afternoon riot at the Bonneville County Jail sent three inmates to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center after police intervened with Tasers, beanbag guns and pepper spray.
Capt. Sid Hamberlin of the Bonneville County sheriff’s office said five inmates had been brewing an alcoholic beverage called “squawky,” which is typically fermented in toilets or snack chip bags, and that after they began drinking it, a fight erupted at about 5:15 p.m.
Officers had refused to release the inmates’ names at press time.
“They just decided they wanted to be a little unruly,” Hamberlin said, adding that the inmates wanted to get the others involved in an uprising against jail administrators.
Hamberlin said they think drugs were also involved.
The brawl was quickly brought under control. Vehicles from the Idaho State Police, Idaho Falls Police Department and Bonneville County sheriff’s office and three ambulances from the Idaho Falls Fire Department were called to the scene, on Hemmert Drive on the north side of Idaho Falls.
“When you get several that are high or intoxicated, it can get out of hand real quick,” Hamberlin said. “It’s important to be prepared.”
No officers were injured in the scuffle.
The incident occurred in a dorm that houses 42 inmates, Hamberlin said, adding that it will be unclear whether other prisoners were drunk until an investigation is completed. Charges may be brought against some or all of the five men they believe to have been involved.
An outbreak this size hasn’t occurred at the jail for at least a year, Bonneville County Sheriff Paul Wilde said.
“Squawky” has been around for years, and jailers are constantly looking for signs of it in the facility that houses 348 inmates, Wilde said. The drink is typically made after inmates store away some of their cafeteria food and wait for it to ferment.
It’s unclear where or how long they were making the drink.
“This is something we’re up against every day,"" Wilde said, adding that jailers typically find the drink before it’s had a chance to ferment.
“As with any investigation, we’ll evaluate and change our operation proceedings if needed,” Wilde said.
Copyright 2008 The Post Register