'Extremely Violent Melee': Union Disputes Essex Jail Fight Account

MIDDLETON, MA — The union representing correctional officers at the Essex County Jail is refuting statements it says "downplayed and diminished" a brawl among inmates, involving weapons, that has had visitation canceled at the Middleton jail for more than a week.

The Essex County Corrections Officers Association called the Oct. 22 fight, which the Essex County Sheriff's Department told Patch involved seven inmates and resulted in "minor" injuries to two inmates and two officers, an "extremely violent melee" and part of an "alarming rise in inmate violence at the Middleton facility in recent years."

"To describe the scene as chaos would be an understatement," the union's Executive Board said in a statement to Patch. "Two of the four officers who first responded were injured and treated at the hospital. One veteran officer described the incident as the most terrifying situation of his entire career.

"Privately, officers have admitted to experiencing symptoms commonly associated with post-traumatic stress in the aftermath of the incident."

The jail was placed on lockdown after the fight "as officials conduct an extensive, facility-wide search for any other weapons" and remained so as of Tuesday, according to the Essex County Sheriff's Office website.

The union described the uprising as involving at least three shanks — objects fabricated into homemade sharp weapons — that it said "were utilized by the inmate combatants against other inmates and correctional staff."

"The responding officers — unarmed and outnumbered — had no choice but to attempt to immediately disarm the brawling inmates to prevent grievous or deadly injury," the union said in its statement. "Throughout that effort, the armed inmates were wildly swinging their shanks through the air, tearing one officer's uniform and very nearly maiming the responding K-9.

"The incident on October 22nd was by no means an isolated incident. "

The union statement said the Middleton Jail "has been a pressure cooker for the last several years and the atmosphere is rapidly deteriorating."

The union called on the Essex County Sheriff's Office to address staff shortages that have led to forced overtime and lack of days off among officers.

"Between an emboldened inmate population and officer fatigue and burnout, morale is at an all-time low," the union said.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)