SBI and FBI End Inmate Takeover at Bertie-Martin Regional Detention Center in Windsor

Inmates overpowered correctional staff and took over parts of the Bertie-Martin Regional Detention Center in Windsor, North Carolina, beginning at about 5 a.m. Monday, with three guards and 88 inmates inside when the takeover started.

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation said the siege ended hours later when the SBI and FBI entered the facility and “cleared the facility,” with authorities saying “All inmates and staff are safe and accounted for, and those who sustained injuries have received treatment.”

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The incident prompted a nearly 10-hour response from local, state and federal law enforcement, and inmates were transferred to other detention facilities while investigators assessed damage inside the jail.

Bertie County Sheriff Tyrone Ruffin said negotiations led to the release of the two guards held hostage along with 80 inmates, leaving only eight inmates inside as law enforcement regained control.

The SBI said the jail will remain secured while damage is assessed, and it was located about 120 miles (190 kilometers) east of Raleigh and houses pretrial detainees and short-term inmates for Bertie and Martin counties.

North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation spokesperson Chad Flowers said most of the remaining inmates “complied and exited the facility as soon as entry was made,” after tactical teams cleared the building.

Sheriff Ruffin described the early hostage situation, saying, “The jail had been taken over and two correctional officers had been held hostage,” as the first deputy arrived within two minutes but was unable to enter.

ActuNiger

Negotiations led to the safe release of the two hostage correctional officers along with 18 inmates around 9:30 a.m., and about 20 minutes later another group of inmates was released.

Family members gathered outside the jail waiting for information, and Mayala Mack said, “My son's safety was initially my first thought just to make sure he was okay,” after her son called to tell her what was happening inside.

The response included agents with the SBI and FBI, the NCSBI Bomb Squad, North Carolina Department of Adult Correction personnel, North Carolina State Highway Patrol, NC Alcohol Law Enforcement, and numerous sheriff's offices and police departments from across eastern North Carolina.

Gov. Josh Stein said, “The perpetrators must be held accountable for this horrifying action,” and he added that the state must “do everything in our power to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”

“Authorities end a takeover at a North Carolina jail hours after inmates overpowered the guards Authorities end a takeover at a North Carolina jail hours after inmates overpowered the guards Inmates overpowered correctional staff and took over parts of a jail in eastern North Carolina early Monday, but the siege ended hours later when law enforcement officers entered the facility and seized control”

Associated Press

Stein tied prevention to staffing and compensation, saying the response must include “doing more to recruit, retain, and compensate the county and state officials who are charged with keeping our jails and prisons safe.”

Authorities maintained that there was no threat to the general public, and Sheriff Ruffin said he did not indicate what caused the takeover while telling the public, “Right now we have a lot going on that we’re trying to get under control.”

The SBI said the detention center would remain closed while staff assess the extent of the damage, and inmates were moved to other facilities as investigators continued the probe.

The SBI announced just after 1:45 p.m. that “The SBI and FBI have cleared the facility,” while the jail remained secured and the investigation continued with additional information to be released as it becomes available.