Large 'Inmate Disturbance' In Dartmouth Causes $100-200K Of Damage

DARTMOUTH, CA — The Bristol County House of Corrections went on lockdown and suffered an estimated $100,000-$200,000 in damages after a “large-scale inmate disturbance” and hours-long standoff, the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office said.

"We had a volatile situation where we had as many as 75-80 inmates that were agitated and they also did a lot of damage," Sheriff Paul Heroux said in a news conference.
The Sheriff’s Office moved inmates to different housing units in an attempt to make the facility more suicide-resistant. At around 9 a.m. Friday, some inmates did not want to leave their units, the sheriff’s office said. By about 11:30a.m., they put together a list of demands.

Heroux said the list of demands were impossible. “We couldn't accommodate all of these, but some of them we could. So, I responded in writing to try to deescalate the situation and as soon as they received the letter, they tore it up and threw it right back out the window."

An inmate reportedly sprayed a fire extinguisher out of one of the windows as officers gathered around the building. Another inmate also threw what appeared to be a security camera and a damaged phone out of the window. A control console that opens and closes doors was also reportedly destroyed.

By about 3:30 p.m., officers were seen walking dozens of handcuffed inmates out one at a time onto a nearby basketball court. There were no injuries to inmates or to correctional officers and no one was taken hostage, Heroux said.

17 “ringleaders” of the event have been spread to other county jails across the state to avoid future future disturbances, he added. They also face several charges that will be determined by the district attorney.

A second unit housing 63 inmates faced a far more “mild disturbance” and less damage was done, Heroux said.