UPDATE: Jail Uprising Resolved

UPDATE, 3:15 P.M.: The situation at the Merrimack County jail has been resolved and the lock down lifted, according to jail officials.

At 1 p.m., units of the Special Response Team, the Central New Hampshire Special Operations Unit and the Merrimack County Sheriff's Department entered the jail after deploying two "flash bang" distraction devices, according to a jail press release. They then opened the stairways by cutting the sheets and removing the barriers that had been set up by the inmates.

Each cell was checked and each inmate escorted out of his cell, searched and handcuffed. No weapons were discovered.

The sheriff's department and the county attorney will conduct a criminal investigation into the incident after reviewing videotapes and other evidence, according to the press release.

An earlier story follows:

The Merrimack County jail in Boscawen has been locked down after an inmate uprising there this morning.

According to a press release from Merrimack County Corrections, at approximately 8:15 a.m., 12 to 14 inmates housed in the maximum security unit refused to lock down in their cells, a standard requirement.

The inmates had been told that they needed to clean the unit and unless they did, television privileges would be curtailed, the press release says. Some inmates objected, with one or two proceeding to throw paper and other items off the second tier onto the floor of the first tier.

Officers were then removed from the tier for their own safety, and the facility was placed in full lock down, according to the press release. The jail will remain in lock down until the situation is resolved, and visits have been curtailed for now.

During the incident, several inmates reportedly barricaded the stairs leading up to the tiers with sheets and other material from their cells. They then wet the barricade with water and soap. Later, some inmates destroyed televisions and sprinkler heads. Some of these inmates wrapped their faces with masks made from their clothing.

The Special Response Team and the crisis negotiation team have been mobilized, the press release said. The Merrimack County Sheriff's office responded to provide backup, and Boscawen police are providing perimeter security.

According to the jail's web page, the Merrimack County House of Corrections is a 237-bed facility, located on Route 3 just outside of Concord. Its detainees include pre-trial adults and adjudicated juveniles, as well as male and female offenders serving sentences of up to two years handed down by Merrimack County Superior Court or one of the district courts in the county. It employs nearly 100 uniformed staff and numerous support staff.