[Onthebarricades] US: Oklahoma prison uprising over overcrowding

[Andy]

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=070806_1__NEWKI20557
Inmates riot at Kay County jail 


By Staff and Wire Reports 
8/6/2007  1:11 PM
Last Modified: 8/6/2007  1:12 PM 


NEWKIRK -- Inmates at the overcrowded Kay County jail caused an estimated $50,000 in damage during a riot that left one jailer hospitalized with smoke inhalation, officials said.

About two dozen inmates were involved in the riot that erupted Saturday night during the evening meal, said Kay County Sheriff Everette VanHoesen.

"The problem is that we're horribly overcrowded," VanHoesen said. "We've got four guys in two-man cells, and everybody is just on edge."

There were 136 inmates in the 108-bed jail Saturday when the violence erupted. VanHoesen said inmates in one of the jail's eight pods for male prisoners were upset they weren't fed first.

"I have only two jailers on duty for about 140 inmates," VanHoesen said. "By the time we all got here, they were going pretty good."

One jailer passed out and was hospitalized overnight after being overcome by smoke from a fire started by the inmates, VanHoesen said.

Several cell doors also were destroyed during the riot.

Law enforcement officers from several nearby agencies and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol responded to the disturbance and helped get the situation under control.

"Once we got superior numbers, we were able to go in, get them down on the floor and in handcuffs and get control of them," VanHoesen said.

Deputies transported about two dozen inmates to jails in Ponca City and neighboring Osage and Grant counties. "Everything's pretty quiet back there now," VanHoesen said Monday.

A similar incident occurred June 26 in the Pittsburg County Jail in McAlester, where inmates rioted and caused damage estimated at $8,000 to $10,000.

Overcrowding also was blamed as the cause of that riot.

A total of 105 inmates were staying in the 65-inmate capacity jail at the time. 
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