Four injured in Monroe prison fight

Published 11:05 pm Thursday, December 20, 2007

MONROE — About 745 inmates on Thursday remained locked in their cells at the Monroe correctional complex while officials investigate a fight that left four people injured.

The reformatory unit at the complex has been placed on lockdown since 1:30 p.m. Wednesday after a fight that involved several inmates, according to the state Department of Corrections. Three inmates and one correctional officer sustained minor injuries. Nobody was hospitalized.

Investigators spent Thursday searching for items that could be used as weapons, said Chad Lewis, a spokesman for the department. Officials don’t know when the reformatory will return to normal operation.

Last time the reformatory was locked down was summer 2006, Lewis said.

In addition to the fight on Wednesday, several fights and other disciplinary issues such as threats and refusing to be searched have occurred at the unit since Dec. 15. Those issues have placed 26 inmates in a new $39.5 million maximum security unit.

Half of the 200-bed maximum-security-area already is housing inmates; the other half is set to open by Jan. 8. The unit will be used to house the most violent offenders from the state’s prison system and inmates threatened by other inmates.

With about 2,500 offenders, the Monroe prison complex is the largest among the state’s 15 prisons.

Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@heraldnet.com.