Oregon State Penitentiary Inmate Dies as Prison Probes Inmate Unrest

A man convicted in Clackamas County of identity theft and serving his time at the Oregon State Penitentiary died unexpectedly Saturday, according to the Oregon Department of Corrections.

Tommie Rae Norton, 55, was convicted earlier this year and entered the prison on July 15, 2016. The earliest he would have been eligible to get out would have been February 11, 2018.

The corrections department says that he was transported to a local hospital from the prison on Saturday morning. He was pronounced dead just before noon.

Meanwhile, the department continues to investigate the situation that led to the prison being placed on lockdown Friday.

Around 2:30 Friday afternoon, multiple fights broke out among inmates. While prison officials moved quickly to place the facility under lockdown, fights continued through Saturday morning.

A total of 155 inmates were placed in special housing as a result of their involvement in the fights. Five inmates had to be taken to local hospitals for outside medical treatment. None of the injuries were life-threatening.

No staff was injured during the altercations.

The penitentiary is the state's only maximum security prison and houses more than 2,ooo inmates.

Photo M.O. Stevens via Wikimedia Commons