2 NC prison workers killed, more injured during escape attempt

[Disir]

ELIZABETH CITY


Two prison employees were killed and several others injured Thursday during an attempted escape at Pasquotank Correctional Institution.

The attempted breakout from the prison in Elizabeth City began around 3 p.m. when inmates set a fire in the prison’s sewing plant, where about 30 inmates produce embroidered logo items, safety vests and other items for Correction Enterprises, the North Carolina Department of Public Safety said.

Several inmates tried to escape as the fire was being extinguished, but they were unsuccessful, officials said. The prison was put on lockdown, with all inmates accounted for in multiple counts.

Ten patients are being treated by hospitals in Elizabeth City and in Norfolk, Va., according to a news release issued just after 8 p.m. by Sentara Healthcare.

2 NC prison workers killed, more injured during escape attempt

And one of the COs was hit with a hammer multiple times.

 

[waltky]

Prison is a dangerous place to work...

Fourth North Carolina Prison Employee Dies After Escape Attempt
November 3, 2017 - Maintenance Mechanic Geoffrey Howe is the fourth prison employee who has died as a result of injuries received during the Oct. 12 escape attempt at Pasquotank Correctional Institution.

A fourth prison employee -- maintenance mechanic Geoffrey Howe -- has died as a result of injuries received during the Oct. 12 escape attempt at Pasquotank Correctional Institution. Howe, 31, died Thursday at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in Norfolk, Va. "Geoffrey Howe was a valued member of his community and his workplace, and he will be greatly missed," Gov. Roy Cooper said Thursday night. "We send our heartfelt sympathies to his loved ones and wish for them comfort during this difficult time. "We owe it to Geoffrey and his fallen coworkers to do all we can to keep an attack like the one that claimed their lives from ever happening inside our prisons again, and that's what I've directed prison leaders to do," Cooper said.

Correctional officers Justin Smith and Wendy Shannon, and Correction Enterprises sewing plant manager Veronica Darden also died as a result of injuries from the attack. Howe celebrated his one-year anniversary with the Department of Public Safety in August. "Our thoughts, prayers and condolences go out to the Howe family," Department of Public Safety Secretary Erik Hooks said. "This tragedy has horribly impacted the lives of four families, as well as co-workers and friends." The assaults at the Eastern North Carolina prison also injured eight other employees. Four inmates were charged with first-degree murder in the attacks. Law enforcement authorities said the inmates were working in the prison's sewing plant when they tried to carry out the escape plan.

Maintenance Mechanic Geoffrey Howe​

The inmates beat employees with hammers and stabbed them with scissors, according to prison workers who called 911. It was the deadliest escape attempt in North Carolina prison history. One of the inmates charged in the attacks was in prison for shooting a state trooper in the face. Another had repeatedly stabbed an Army sergeant's wife with a kitchen knife. A third was incarcerated for shooting a co-worker to death behind a west Charlotte gas station. Some current and former prison officers questioned whether the inmates with violent histories should have been put to work in a sewing plant, where they would have access to potentially lethal tools.

Just one officer -- Justin Smith -- was overseeing the more than 30 inmates in the sewing plant when the violence erupted, sources told the Observer. In October, more than 30 percent of the officer positions at the prison were vacant, state Department of Public Safety records show. The prison continues to be on lockdown. Members of the prison emergency response team from other state prison facilities continue to assist Pasquotank staff. Pasquotank Correctional Institution houses 676 male inmates in close, medium and minimum custody.

Fourth North Carolina Prison Employee Dies After Escape Attempt