Hundreds of Monroe prisoners create massive disturbance after inmates test for COVID-19

Hundreds of prisoners inside a Monroe facility created a massive disturbance Wednesday evening and threatened to set fires after several inmates tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Washington State Patrol.

ADVERTISEMENT

Officials at the Monroe Correctional Complex called the Patrol at about 6 p.m. to help with security because over 100 prisoners in minimum security had started a demonstration in the recreation yard, troopers said.

Authorities said all measures to quell the disturbance were ignored including verbal directives, pepper spray and sting balls, which release light, noise, and rubber pellets.

<="" sd-embed="">

Fire extinguishers were also set off within two housing units inside the Minimum Security Unit, appearing to be smoke from the outside.



Suzy, whose son is one of the inmates at the prison, told KOMO NewsRadio she could hear shouting and the anger in the background when she was talking to her son.

"There’s fear and frustration building inside this minimum security unit," she said. "And I’ve been there for visits twice a week for a long time and its pretty mellow and quiet in there most of the time I was shocked to hear them tonight with all the loud yelling and anxious sounding... the anger and frustration that's been building in that unit."

Additional security units responded, and over half of the men started complying with their orders, while others continued to ignore their directions, officials said. Sting balls were deployed and the prisoners stopped destroying the two housing units, authorities said.

No jail staffers or prisoners were injured during the disturbance and both housing units were fully evacuated.

Officials believe the incident was caused after six prisoners testing positive for COVID-19 within the Minimum Security Unit.



"They're all freaking out for their lives," said Carmella Holt, whose boyfriend is inside the prison. "They're scared to death. Nobody's doing anything about it, they're not getting the medical attention that they need."



All six prisoners are isolated from the general population and are being monitored by the facility's health care team.

<="" sd-embed="">

Suzy's son expressed some of the fears amid the inmates.



"He said, 'we can’t cover our faces at all,' which I understand in a lot of ways; you’re in prison you probably don’t want these people wearing something over your face," Suzy said. "Their beds are like in like this barracks-type situation with literally like this cardboard piece between the bunks. And he said, 'I can reach my hand up and over and if someone's coughing above me or over to the side (it's) going to travel to me.' Literally no protection for them. They're breathing the same air, they're not being able to social distance."

The Department of Corrections said it is protecting medically vulnerable incarcerated individuals.

All of the men in the housing unit with the first positive COVID-19 cases continue to have no symptoms of illness or disease and are wearing surgical masks for further protection, according to the Department of Corrections.

Authorities said the facility is on restricted movement and the situation is under control.

"When you have people in there that are sickit’s like, what do you do then? " Suzy said. "I don’t know if they need to test all these people in there and find out if anyone has it or doesn’t has it and separate the people that don’t so they don’t end up contracting it."

The Monroe Correctional Complex houses approximately 450 minimum custody male inmates.

Sorry, we couldn't load this embedded content View It On Our Full Site





ADVERTISEMENT



