Monroe inmate took cellmate hostage, prison says

Published 5:28 pm Monday, April 14, 2014

MONROE — A Washington State Reformatory inmate has been placed in the intensive management unit after taking his cellmate hostage Sunday morning.

The prison was placed in lockdown for about four hours, a state Department of Corrections spokeswoman said.

The inmate, who is 32 and serving a life sentence, is from Yakima County, where he was convicted of assault and rape, corrections spokeswoman Norah West said.

“We did have an agitated offender who at one point used his cellmate as a hostage,” West said.

Corrections officials are trying to determine the motive for his behavior, she said.

“The issue was not with his cellmate,” she said.

Negotiators from the prison were able to resolve the situation peacefully, she added.

The prison was placed in lockdown around 9:30 a.m. Visitors were not allowed onto the grounds.