Cimarron Facility Customer base: U.S. to submit incident reports to the department in a timely manner. The cell phone video, obtained by KWTV, shows a prisoner being picked up by other inmates and thrown from the second floor of the facility. Four inmates, including Kyle Tiffee, were fatally stabbed during a riot at the Cimarron Correctional Facility. Recordsalso indicate the Payne County District Attorney charged seven inmates in connection to the riot. sharing the stories, pictures and loves of Oklahomans across our great state. The evidence is terrible. My questions were, Why wasnt this riot reported to me? And their answer was they didnt consider it a riot. As the state was preparing motions to dismiss due to current insufficient evidence to pass beyond a reasonable doubt standard of proof, the case against Jordan was before Judge Kistler, who sustained a motion to quash as to the defendant in that companion case, based in part on the lack of positive identification of each defendant and lack of ability of witnesses to identify with any certainty what actions each defendant took. Visit Inmate Find Facility Locate Inmate Careers. On September 12, 2015, the prisoners at Cimarron Correctional Facility in Cushing began to band together for what would be called one of the deadliest prison fights in state history. The key evidence in all the cases was a low-quality video surveillance recording. Authorities said at the time that the riot started when a dispute between two rival prison gangs became violent. Sep 8, 2016. I found the video almost worthless. Then, only two months later, the deadliest prison riot in Oklahoma Department of Corrections history occurred at the facility a gang fight between the Irish Mob and the United Aryan Brotherhood at the facilitys Charlie North unit. Multiple units from . The flocking was a sure sign that a fight was imminent, yet a guard stood by as nothing more than a spectator, to the fight. The fight at Cimarron Correctional Facility in Cushing, Okla., began Saturday afternoon and lasted for approximately two minutes, according to a statement from Corrections Corp. of America,. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. You cant do identification based on watching the video, Thomas said. You will be notified in advance of any changes in rate or terms. A spokesman for CoreCivic directed all questions about the incident to the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. Please refer to our. In previous years, media reports have indicated the company has. STILLWATER, Okla. Seven inmates have been charged in a 2015 riot at a private prison in Oklahoma in which four prisoners were stabbed to death. No one died, but a dozen inmates went to the hospital. You can opt-out at any time. The Cimarron Correctional Facility, which houses around 1,600 prisoners of both medium and maximum security level, is owned by Tennessee-based CoreCivic (formerly known as Corrections Corporation of America). Seven individuals allegedly involved in the fight were. Both Hood and Lockett have been charged with possession of a controlled substance and intent to bring contraband into a penal institution, and their cases remain open. But Lockett had no such excuse for the half pound of meth police found in his car that day after he gave them consent to search. In her motions to dismiss, the DA said, At the time of the filing of the charges, the investigative report confirmed each defendant could be identified as a participant in the riot by employees of the correctional facility. Cimarron Correctional Facility is a Medium, Maximum security level Private Prison located in the city of Cushing, Oklahoma. (Stillwater, Okla.) - Charges have been dismissed against seven convicts accused of participating in a fatal gang-related riot between the Irish Mob and the Universal Aryan Brotherhood at the Cimarron Correctional Facility in Cushing on Sept. 12, 2015, in which four inmates died from stab wounds, court records show. (Stillwater, Okla.) - Payne County District Attorney Laura Austin Thomas filed charges on Monday against seven convicts accused of participating in a riot at the Cimarron Correctional Facility in Cushing on Sept. 12, 2015, in which four inmates died from stab wounds. Court records showCorecivicis facing civil lawsuits as a result of the riot. Lockett and another guard have been indicted for smuggling phones and drugs into the facility, according to Payne County court records. Its hard to explain your feelings unless you have lost a child, Steve said. The witness, Terrance A. Lockett, now 54, was the only correctional officer to see the fight start. Here we dont have any evidence whatsoever that we can find, that there was a UAB group down there waiting and ready to do battle. Lockett was fired in February 2016 for bringing marijuana into the prison for inmates. Want to support our mission to hold powerful people accountable, give a voice to the voiceless, and shine a light on darkness in Oklahoma? According tothe report, former DOCdirector Robert Patton requested a joint after-action review be conducted by the DOCand thecompanythatmanages the private prisonCoreCivic,formerly known as CorrectionsCorporation of America. We promise to never spam you. Multiple units from the Payne County Sheriff's office and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP) were called in to help get the situation under control. The lawsuit filed on behalf of Tiffees family notes CCAs voluminous income, which the company says provides Oklahomans with the highest standards of quality. Taxpayers in the state paid the company nearly $2.3 million a month in 2015 to CCA to run prisons there, and they have what Bryan says is the deadliest incident in the states prison history to show for it. CCA knew inmates were using the fixtures to make weapons, according to the lawsuit, but didnt remove the fixtures for financial reasons. Even after the deadly battle, CCA left the fixtures in place. The Department of Corrections claims the video is exempt from the Oklahoma Open Records Act, as a law enforcement record, attorney Spencer Bryan told The Daily Beast. The deadly melee occurred on Sept. 12, 2015, at the Cimarron Correctional Facility in. Payne County District Attorney Rob Hudson said he may seek the death penalty. In a clash between the Irish Mob and Universal Aryan Brotherhood,reportsshow 24 inmatesused homemade weapons to maim and kill one another. Courtesy. In November 2015, Hood was pulled aside after she repeatedly triggered a metal detector at Cimarron. Department spokesman Alex Gerszewski said the agency would not release the video "for security reasons," since the investigation is ongoing. IE 11 is not supported. There are multiple defendants charged in the riot. "Yesterday's inmate-on-inmate altercation lasted less than two minutes with staff responding very quickly to quell the disturbance," the Oklahoma Department of Corrections said in a statement Sunday. From 2012 to 2016, a third of all homicides committed in Oklahoma prisons occurred in the two state-contracted CoreCivic facilities, though they held only a little more than 10 percent of the states prisoners, according to data from the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. The cell phone video, obtained by KWTV, shows a prisoner being picked up by other inmates and thrown from the second floor of the facility. CUSHING, Okla. The estate of a state inmate who was killed during a prison melee has filed a lawsuit against the privately-run prison's management company and an unidentified inmate. Lockett pulled out two bags of marijuana wrapped in electrical tape, according to police, then told an interesting story. Four men got out and approached Lockett, handing over the bags of marijuana and threatening to kill him if he didnt drop them off in Charlie North. In ruling that the case against Jordan was insufficient to proceed to a trial, the judge said, The evidence presented at the preliminary hearing was minimal. As more staff are corrupted, more contraband is introduced, and more inmates are monetized into the trafficking operation, the lawsuit states. The fight, which lasted all of two minutes, claimed four lives and was the deadliest incident in the history of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. Wednesday, October 11th 2017, 11:09 pm. Sign In. But theres just one problem: CCA is not registered with the Oklahoma Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training, and therefore is not technically a law enforcement agency. Cushing, OK 74023. Four inmates, including the 23-year-old Tiffee, were . A total of 12 inmates were transported offsite to an area hospital for treatment. Jordan merely smiled. Private-prison guards maced Kyle Tiffee as he bled to death after being repeatedly stabbed in a gang battle last year. At the time of the September 2015 riot, department officials told media that the incident was not considered a riot, though Oklahoma law. According to a release . It does not address the elements of the crime. researches product purchases and suppliers. Thats a scary prison, Thomas said. Instead, Thomas said, the charges of participating in a riot that resulted in death, which carries the same penalty as second-degree murder, are what can actually be proven with the available evidence. Long-Term Care Ombudsman serve as advocates for residents of all licensed long term care settings. But proper medical care need not exist for a company like CCA to thrive, which is part of the reason that the Justice Department announced in August it would phase out the use of private companies to run federal prisons. What you can see is total surprise, Thomas said. APPLY NOW. The Sept. 12, 2015 fight between members of the Irish Mob and Universal Aryan Brotherhood prison gangs on the Charlie North unit at Cimarron Correctional Facility in Cushing, owned by CoreCivic (formerly known as Corrections Corporation of America), left four prisoners dead, and is considered the deadliest single incident in Oklahoma . Injuries Reported Following Riot At Cimarron Correctional Facility. Lexipol. or redistributed. Legal Statement. A riot broke out at a Tennessee prison operated by CoreCivic on Sunday night. Corrections1 is revolutionizing the way in which the corrections community finds relevant news, The facility has had several violent incidents over the past several years, including a unit-wide, in 2013 and at least two riots in 2015. Not long after that, the riot squad arrived and maced Tiffeestabbed likely by the rival Aryanswhile trying to break up the brief and bloody battle. Lexipol. From Bob Mills SkyNews 9 HD, multiple EMSA vehicles were parked in front of the vehicle. The night before Lockett had been on his way home from Cimarron when a car in front of him abruptly stopped. Further damaging his credibility as a witness was that he has been diagnosed as mentally ill. "Recently his symptoms have become much worse including auditory hallucinations and suicidal thoughts," a St. Louis, Missouri, psychiatrist reported in February. Following the Cimarron Correctional Facility riot, six inmates were charged with first-degree murder. Still pending is a lawsuit, over two of the deaths, filed against the Tennessee-based company that runs the private prison and others across the country. Multiple units from the Payne County Sheriff's office and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP) were called in to help get the situation under control. In a report written by a Cushing police officer, Hoods fellow guards said she was constantly tripping metal detectors at the prison, and was finally taken in for questioning that day. Copyright 2023 Tim Stelloh is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital. The preliminary hearing was devoid of testimony my client did anything to anyone, Gage successfully argued. The Cimarron Correctional Facility is a private facility and not a part of the state department of corrections. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Courtesy NewsOn6 Two months after the deadliest prison riot in Oklahoma history, the company in charge of that facility received a nearly $100,000 check from a state program designed to reward job creation. There was no testimony as to who was in the video, Gage argued, adding that a still shot was offered into evidence without proper authority. It can hold approximately 1,650 inmates, 180 of whom in its maximum security wing. The fight pitted the Irish Mob against a rival white supremacist gang known as the Universal Aryan Brotherhood, the United Aryan Brotherhood or simply UAB, according to an investigation. All rights reserved. By: News 9. CLIFTON ADCOCK/The Frontier. The facility has had several violent incidents over the past several years, including a unit-wide riot in 2013 and at least two riots in 2015. The deadly melee occurred on Sept. 12, 2015, at the Cimarron Correctional Facility in Cushing, which is a private prison owned and operated by Tennessee-based Corrections Corporation of America. After denying he had anything concealed in his pants, a Cushing police officer convinced Lockett to give up the goods. Please refer to our. Posted on April 25, 2018. One prisoner was eventually diagnosed with fractures in his neck when he slipped in a shower that was supposed to be closed at Cimarron, but weeks went by before he was finally taken to the hospital. Other inmates began to assault the officer as well as other officers who were assisting, and after more pepper spray was deployed the melee quickly ended, according to DOC. No charges have been filed in connection to the inmates deaths. If you want to connect with kin or friend held at Cimarron Correctional Facility, you need to follow the procedures below: Both the video and the still shot are blurry. Cimarron has been a problem for CCA for at least the past two years. Jordan's defense attorney asked for the dismissal, arguing that there had not been testimony at the preliminary hearing "that the accused did anything to injure any of the four individuals.". Another inmate said he came to the prison with swollen hands only to be ignored by medical staff. Several people were being treated for injuries after a riot at the Cimarron Correctional Facility in Cushing, Wednesday evening. (The Justice Departments decree does not affect facilities run by ICE because it is not a part of the Bureau of Prisons.). CoreCivic, formerly known as Corrections Corp. of America, owns and operates the Cimarron prison, which houses state inmates under a contract with the Corrections Department. Copyright 2023, 1600 KUSH-AM by Oilpatch Radio. 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