All rights reserved. Correctional Officer Wesley Thompson has been charged with trafficking synthetic cannabinoids inside Tabor Correctional Institution. partner_name: "WWAY TV", The call came just hours after she had talked to her son. The judge will determine what is done with the firearms after the trial. He ran over and subdued the prisoner. But he said that Gov. The incident resulted in an "active shooter" announcement being broadcast over the hospital's public address system. The state has recently made offers to about 400 officer candidates, so the vacancy rate will likely drop, Guice said. This is a constant battle, fought daily. These allegations are under internal investigation as well. More than 121 grams of synthetic marijuana was discovered during a search of the cell. Due to a backlog in counties jails and crowding in other North Carolina state prisons,[2] the state of North Carolina began construction on Tabor Correctional Institution (TCI) in May 2006 and was completed in April 2008. United States; Search; 2022; 2022 Honor Roll of Heroes. In 2014, a Lanesboro officer was paid $29,800 but made another $35,600 in overtime. Corrections1 is revolutionizing the way in which the corrections community finds relevant news, The Tabor Correctional Institution, also known as Tabor City Prison, is a prison within the North Carolina Department of Public Safety located in Tabor City, North Carolina. Drugs are thrown over the fences (often stuffed into footballs or basketballs), hidden in the mail, brought in by staff or smuggled in during visitation. District Attorney issues statement on Tabor Correctional investigation, 3 hurt in crash involving motorcycle near Surfside Beach, Darlington fire captain recovering after cutting torch explosion, Panthers founder, former owner Jerry Richardson dies at 86, Runners arrive, prepare for Myrtle Beach Marathon, Police: 1 shot, body found in Forestbrook area, Everybody is cheering him on: Duo ready to rock and roll through Myrtle Beach Marathon, wmbf-publicfile@gray.tv - (843) 839-9623. He is being held on suspicion of carjacking and as an accessory to the crime, and is being held in lieu of $1 million bail.. Orban approached her as she was getting into her car in the mall parking lot and forced himself into the passenger seat, police said. The Department has many hard-working correctional professionals and it takes staff arrests very seriously. During this time. (The officer) said that Thompson had come to her and asked her if she wanted to make some extra money on several occasions but that she didnt want anything to do with it, investigators wrote in the report. State figures. [30], In October 2012, a correctional officer was arrested in the parking lot of Tabor Correction Institute, according to Tabor City Police, and charged with one count of providing tobacco to an inmate and two counts of a sex offense in an institution. COLUMBUS COUNTY, N.C. (WECT) - District attorney Jon David released a statement Wednesday on the N.C. Department of Public Safetys internal investigation after a Tabor Correctional inmate died of a suspected overdose amid allegations of correctional officers smuggling drugs into the prison. [12], It cost approximately $28million to operate this prison each year[13] TCI is maintained by contract maintenance, TKC Management Services.[14]. This is a constant battle, fought daily. There were 99 guns and enough fentanyl to kill thousands of people recovered from the home of a former Tabor Correctional Institution corrections officer. It also revealed this administrator submitted a resignation effective June 30, 2015. The gun was determined to belong to Orban, police said. All rights reserved. They might have had enough officers to subdue that inmate before he got that fire extinguisher from the sergeant, said Robert Webster, a former captain at two North Carolina maximum-security prisons. [45] During the same month, WECT reported that an officer was charged, while on duty, with stealing over $30,000 in property and cash from an employee at the UNC Hospital's Ambulatory Care Center. "Warden Bullard is an exceptional, insightful leader with deep knowledge of the prison and how the prison system . category_id: null, She resigned last Friday. Its a black eye to the law enforcement profession, Wilkins said. While the Ontario officers were interviewing Orban and Jelinek, they received word about the sexual assault involving a firearm in Fontana. It puts officers lives in danger to be honest., The inmates literally say, You all are understaffed, so if we wanted to, we could overtake this prison. . Finding people who are willing to work as prison officers isnt easy. [43] It revealed that guards at the prison had been fired for unnecessary uses of force against an inmate, an officer having an inappropriate relationship with an inmate, for unsatisfactory job performance and sleeping while on duty, falsification of doctors' notes and being arrested and charged with first degree burglary. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. I got a call from the prison that said that he was in the hospital, in the ICU, Pressley said. As soon as we plug a hole in one area, offenders find a work around. [40] The officer was arrested by the Tabor City police department. Pressley rushed to be by her sons side at the hospital where she heard his last heartbeat. This may be called Tools or use an icon like the cog. Personnel records for the sergeant obtained by WECT indicate he started working at Tabor Correctional in December 2018 and had been with DPS since May 2014. (The officer) also said that Thompson told her that he was bringing the drugs into the prison by hiding it in the soles of his boots. There are no national standards for minimum staffing at prisons, experts say. Callahan died, roughly one of every five CO positions at the prison was vacant, By Ames Alexander and Gavin Off Moreover, we are seeking to determine if the recent death of an inmate by a suspected drug overdose is related to this activity. Three correctional officers resign amid drug smuggling allegations and suspected inmate overdose death, Three corrections officers resign amid drug smuggling allegations, National Park Service says never push a slower friend down when escaping a bear, 2 dead, 1 deputy injured in Harnett County chase, crash, officials say; chase suspect on the run. NC prison officer planned to behead 2 people. Bullard also said the sergeant left work early that day after he was questioned and had not returned to work since. Mother, son charged with child sex crimes", "Correctional officer accused of having sex with an inmate", "Tabor Correctional inmate escapes from work detail", "State auditor finds problems in Tabor Correctional travel records", "Police: Correctional officer drives into two CFCC students", "UPDATE: Stabbed home invasion suspect is a prison employee", North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tabor_City_Correctional_Institution&oldid=1112935200, Buildings and structures in Columbus County, North Carolina, All articles with bare URLs for citations, Articles with bare URLs for citations from March 2022, Articles with PDF format bare URLs for citations, Articles with dead external links from February 2022, Articles needing cleanup from September 2022, Articles with bare URLs for citations from September 2022, Articles covered by WikiProject Wikify from September 2022, All articles covered by WikiProject Wikify, Infobox mapframe without OSM relation ID on Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 28 September 2022, at 21:35. Then the FBI stepped in. function evvntDiscoveryInit() { Sundland Fire also participated in the construction of the prison,[5] as did Bergelectric [6], TCI is located two miles (3km) northwest from the center of Tabor City, although it is considered a part of the city limits. publisher_id: "7056", Local law enforcement, either a police department or sheriffs office, is called whenever anyone is caught trying to smuggle in drugs. [53], On December 8, 2016, an officer was arrested for "unlawfully, willfully, and feloniously" allowed the sexual abuse between her son and the alleged victim to occur. Personnel records for the sergeant obtained by WECT indicate he started working at Tabor Correctional in December 2018 and had been with DPS since May 2014. [7] A double fence surrounds the prison.[8]. At Lanesboro, 45 miles southeast of Charlotte, it was common for 42 officers to watch about 1,200 prisoners on the night shift, according to Gregory McCoy, who worked there as a correctional officer from 2009 to 2016. Copyright 2021 WECT. You can only spread people so thin, she said. Inmate Dustin D. Goodson, 31, suffered an apparent overdose on Nov. 12 and was taken to McLeod Loris Hospital, where he was later declared brain dead. #ThisIsThePlace. All it would take is for five or ten guys to decide were going to take over the prison. All rights reserved. We live, work and play right here in the Cape Fear. Pros Great job security, benefits, salary, etc. November 24, 2021 WWAY News , It houses over 1700 mixed classification inmates. After Orban left, the woman walked to a nearby business where she called Fontana police to report the incident, just after 7 p.m. The officer added that she discouraged Thompson from bringing drugs into the prison and denied being a look out for Thompson when questioned about her appearing to be so in the video footage. But prison officials did release the monthly figures, which show that the prison had 211 officers available to work in April. The smuggling of drugs into prisons is a nationwide problem, not just a North Carolina problem. This is usually something we see on legal mail, Wilkins said. State figures show that in April, when Callahan died, roughly one of every five correctional officer positions at the eastern North Carolina prison was vacant. One of the most dangerous items recovered was the stamp with the words attorney-client privilege, McLean said. On Nov. 18, the day after Goodson was pronounced dead, investigators again met with Bullard, who showed them videos from the night Goodson apparently overdosed. The stamp, if used on mail sent to inmates, restricts law enforcement personnel and prison workers from opening mail prior to the delivery to inmates, Wilkins said. } Jelinek has been relieved of duty pending the outcome of the investigation. The second officer admitted she knew about Thompsons drug activity. [31], As reported by WECT in February 2014, the new Administrator was accused of forcing employees to pay the new Administrator for promotions through an Administrator-designed "fundraising" campaign. Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Its so dangerous, Gravitte said. }); You're tired. The arrest can affect the image of all law enforcement personnel to the public, he said. David McBride of the Ontario Police Department. David Guice, the states chief deputy secretary for adult correction and juvenile justice, said he does not yet know whether better staffing at Bertie would have made any difference the day that Callahan was killed. We'd love to hear from you. [55], In June 2017, an inmate assigned to a work detail at a second prison escaped. When your shift starts at 5:30 a.m. and you work 12 hours and you get told you're held over till 9 (p.m.) you're not alert. (The sergeant) also asked another staff member to bring him his belongings from his office, officers wrote in the report. Many of the large maximum-security prisons such as Bertie and Lanesboro are located in rural areas, where recruiting can be difficult. Bertie isnt the only state prison with staffing problems. An investigation into the officer was ongoing at the time of the news report, although Department of Corrections Spokesman Keith Acree said "Most often when employees are caught doing this and charged, they resign," Acree was unable to say how many employees resigned after being charged with drug offenses, although the news report reference two other recent issues with prison employees. Prison in Tabor City, North Carolina, United States, Patsy Chavis era (February 22, 2012 - June 30, 2015), Learn how and when to remove this template message, North Carolina Department of Public Safety, "Tabor Correctional Institution - Cornerstone Detention Products", "Optimistic town manager: 'Tabor City is in the fight of its life', "Sunland Fire Columbus County Prison: Tabor City, NC", http://www.taborcitync.org/correctionalfacility.asp, "New correctional facility in Tabor city - WECT TV6-WECT.com:News, weather & sports Wilmington, NC", "New State Prison in Columbus County | WHQR", "Inmate labor builds new prison additions at greatly reduced costs", http://www.fayobserver.com/news/crime_courts/addition-at-tabor-city-prison-open-to-public-tours-saturday/article_2ca5426e-190a-5ea2-af9b-2042c3607bf1.html, http://www.doc.state.nc.us/NEWS/cnews/2008/july-aug%2008%20for%20web.pdf, "TWC News - Charlotte - Salisbury, Gastonia", "Prison Guard Salary | Averages, Ranges, and Starting", "McCrory budget plan includes pay raises for some, but not all", "Panama prison reform gets a boost from N.C. - Fayetteville Observer: News", http://www.doc.state.nc.us/NEWS/2007/releases/George%20Kenworth%20to%20Tabor.htm, "TABOR-LORIS TRIBUNE WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2012 PAGE 3", "TABOR-LORIS TRIBUNE WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2012 PAGE 3", "4th Annual Beach Wrestling State Championship wraps up at Carolina Beach", http://www.robesonian.com/view/full_story/6887871/article-2-prison-officers-charged-in-theft?instance=home_news_lead, "US NC: Two Prison Guards Charged With Trafficking Prescription Meds", "North Carolina Department of Public Safety", "20 bags of pot, 4 cell phones discovered in hole near jail", "Prison guard charged for sex offense and providing tobacco to an - WECT TV6-WECT.com:News, weather & sports Wilmington, NC", "Fundraising campaign at Tabor prison under investigation", "Investigation of questionable prison fundraising complete", "State tight-lipped about death of inmate suspected of drinking 'homemade brew', "WECT Investigates: Fast food delivered to inmates - WECT TV6-WECT.com:News, weather & sports Wilmington, NC", "McCrory brokered meeting on contract for friend and campaign donor | News & Observer", "Prison guard arrested in robbery, beheading plot - WECT TV6-WECT.com:News, weather & sports Wilmington, NC", "Federal grand jury indicts Tabor City prison guard", "Correctional officer arrested for providing drugs to inmate - WECT TV6-WECT.com:News, weather & sports Wilmington, NC", http://www.fayobserver.com/news/crime_courts/tabor-city-correctional-officer-accused-of-giving-drugs-to-inmate/article_74d52d84-a035-51f1-a1ac-c6b5d23e3643.html, "State: Tabor City prison guard 'appropriately reassigned' follow - WECT TV6-WECT.com:News, weather & sports Wilmington, NC", "Behind Bars: Why prison workers were fired", "Tabor City correctional officer faces larceny charges after incident at UNC medical facility", "Correctional officer was convicted a year before prison hired her", "Tabor Correctional sergeant resigns following arrest on drug charges", "New Hanover Co. "The prison's first responders performed lifesaving . [56], As administrator, Brad Perrit was cited for failing to properly document use of a state vehicle. The former NASCAR driver Robert East, known as Bobby, was fatally stabbed on Wednesday in Westminster, Calif., the authorities said, and the suspect in the stabbing was killed on . This is the largest weapon seizure Ive ever seen in this county, said Robeson County Sheriff Burnis Wilkins. I want some kind of justice for him.. That investigation includes support from the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), Maj. Russell Conway of the TCPD said Monday. Officials say that Malek Moore, 29, was found unresponsive in his cell shortly after 4:30 a.m. Wednesday. Its not safe, McCoy said. Inmate Craig Wissink, who has been serving a life sentence for murder since 2004, has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with Callahans death. Three correctional officers named in two separate incident reports filed by the Tabor City Police Department have resigned in the past week. In June 2014, a separate facility was added to the prison complex, housing an additional 252 minimum custody level inmates[16] making it one of the largest prisons in the state. Roy Cooper has asked him to review the circumstances to ensure this doesnt happen again.. TABOR CITY, NC (WWAY) One correctional officer has been charged, and two others have resigned in the wake of the overdose death of an inmate at Tabor Correctional Institution. The Tabor Correctional Institution, also known as Tabor City Prison, is a prison within the North Carolina Department of Public Safety located in Tabor City, North Carolina. To cope with the shortages, many prisons have also paid hundreds of thousands each year for overtime. Inmate. Lumberton, NC 28358, Lumberton, NC News, Obituaries, classifieds, and Sports. Upon the airing of the story, the Director of the North Carolina Division of Prisons suspended these activities, pending yet another review stating, "The Division of Prisons is surveying the activities of all service clubs across the prison system and developing more specific governing policies for these clubs to ensure that they are operating consistently and are providing true rehabilitative benefits." He called me that Friday morning about 9:30 he called me and he was fine; he talked, we talked for the whole time the call would let us talk. Many of North Carolinas maximum-security prisons are operating dangerously short of staff, current and former correctional officers told the Observer. [19], The Tabor City Prison officially opened on August 18, 2008,[13] with George Kemworthy serving as administrator of the prison. During the construction of the new addition to the prison, cell phones and marijuana were found during the construction of the addition, apparently in an effort to smuggle the items into the prison. Robeson County Sheriff Burnis Wilkins, left, and sheriffs Lt. Adam Chavis examine guns seized from a Lumberton residence on Thursday. While speaking about Goodson, Bullard mentioned prison staff had found more drugs under a podium in a unit. As of September 2014, this employee delivered fast food program remained suspended by the Director of the State Prison System. The staffing shortages also put officers in danger, Smith said. TABOR CITY, N.C. (WECT) - An inmate at Tabor Correctional Institution died of an apparent suicide, according to the N.C. Department of Public Safety. number: 3, Bullard also said the sergeant left work early that day after he was questioned and had not returned to work since. An officer at Tabor Correctional Institution planned to rob an armored car. [49], In addition, some commentators have included censorship as well as other deprivations as problems under this new leadership. North Carolina. At Bertie, Callahan was responding to a fire set inside a trash can on the evening of April 26 when an inmate beat her to death with the fire extinguisher shed brought to douse the flames, state officials say. The Department has many hard-working correctional professionals and it takes staff arrests very seriously. The Charlotte Observer. Sheriff: Its a black eye to the law enforcement profession. The officer added that she discouraged Thompson from bringing drugs into the prison and denied being a look out for Thompson when questioned about her appearing to be so in the video footage. "[54], On April 24, 2017 an officer was arrested, accused of having sex with an inmate. That contraband was located during a search of the inmates cell, Conway said. Thompson had been a correctional officer with Tabor Correctional since July 2018 before resigning Monday. April 5, 2010 at 2:00 p.m. WESTMINSTER - An off-duty Westminster police officer and an off-duty state corrections officer were arrested Saturday night in connection with a carjacking, kidnapping . He definitely shouldnt have had this.. If you had more staff, then you might have been looking at hurt staff instead of dead staff (on the day Callahan died), Harkins said. Thompson asked to speak to his attorney when interviewed. ", In September 2014, local news channel WECT discovered that this administrator of the prison had approved using state employees and state vehicles to have fast food delivered to the prison inmates on several occasion. The officer had previously worked for the armored car company and was planning to behead the owners to make the robbery appear to be an act of terrorism. She will be spending the holidays grieving for her only son, but she can take some comfort in one decision Goodson made to change the lives of others as an organ donor. It was later determined that Orban telephoned Jelinek, who picked up Orban in Fontana and drove him back to the Ontario Mills parking lot, police said. When you see news happening, report it! On Nov. 18, the day after Goodson was pronounced dead, investigators again met with Bullard, who showed them videos from the night Goodson apparently overdosed. Despite the objections of the NCDPS head Frank Perry, the contracts were renewed. Former Tabor Correctional officer jailed after sheriffs deputies seize drugs, 99 firearms three Robeson County detention officers in April, Lumber River United Way holds Annual Day of Caring, PSRC leaders continue defense of El Curriculum, NC report shows increase in student misconduct in 2021-22, Innovation, 3D printing saves UNCP swim meet, Pirates hit as Register hits 200 career wins, Big inning sends Pirates baseball past Hoke. However, a December 2020 report showed that state . Statewide, about 16 percent of officer positions are vacant. Investigators filed a separate report for drug trafficking/smuggling following their conversation with Bullard on Nov. 18. The ATFs database called the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, or NIBIN, also will be used to determine if guns were stolen. He was arrested and charged with trafficking synthetic cannabinoids into the prison. The Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice has named two new prison administrators. Investigators spoke with an Assistant District Attorney, who requested an autopsy be performed on Goodson. The state must pay a fee to the counties to house these inmates. 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The gashes in the officers face and neck required 39 stitches. virtual: false, Meggan Callahan was killed there allegedly by an inmate who beat her to death with a fire extinguisher. When Callahan was attacked, two other officers were nearby, according to Anthony Jernigan, who heads the State Bureau of Investigation office that covers northeastern North Carolina. "The health and safety of the staff and the offender population is our top priority." Copyright 2023 Dawe, whose group shares research to help correctional officers, said that prison leaders who operate without sufficient staff roll the dice with peoples lives.. There is no prior relationship between the victim and the suspects, McBride said. Was this review helpful? It has become the most comprehensive and trusted online destination for correctional professionals nationwide. (The officer) said that Thompson had come to her and asked her if she wanted to make some extra money on several occasions but that she didnt want anything to do with it, investigators wrote in the report. [51] Assistant Superintendent Larry Thompson was named Acting Superintendent until the next Superintendent was selected. Moore was arrested in September and charged in connection to a murder in Charlotte and another in Greensboro. The cause of death was reported as having been natural causes,[34] however, a WECT report dated July 30, 2015 revealed that the cause of death was "methanol toxicity" from a concoction of chemicals including hand sanitizer that the inmate drank. Surveillance video in the prison led investigators to Thompson and to an inmate, who was allegedly provided some of the drug, Conway said. Christopher Hilburn of the Tabor City Police Department Friday afternoon. The San Bernardino County District Attorneys office has not received the case yet from Ontario police, and has until Tuesday to file charges, spokeswoman Susan Mickey said. The original maximum number of inmates housed at the prison was 1,500. Orban was booked on suspicion of kidnapping, false imprisonment, rape and carjacking. We absolutely and fully support prosecution of those responsible. The death of Rodriguez Jr., who left his job at California State Prison-Sacramento in. Only one faces criminal charges at this time, though . There were children in the home and most of the guns were loaded at the time of the search, the sheriff said. Maddens arrest comes after the recent arrests of three Robeson County detention officers in April for charges of identity theft. During the home search, 24,000 milligrams of fentanyl were recovered, which is enough to kill 12,000 people, Wilkins said. Prisons has a zero tolerance for the introduction of contraband to any prison from any source. [35] According to the same news report, the department of public safety conducted an investigation, "but the results aren't public record. Angela Smith, who worked as an officer at Tabor Correctional Institution from 2010 to 2014, said she was often asked to work overtime because the prison was so understaffed. More than 50 dosage units, 200 grams of the synthetic drug commonly known as K2/Spice was recovered, Conway said. Jelinek stood by and watched as Orban pointed the gun at the victim and ordered her to drive away, police said. [10], Early in 2014, an addition housing 252 minimum inmates opened, rasing the maximum number of inmates housed at Tabor Prison to 1,752. Drills included escaped inmates and staff being taken hostage. map: false, The inmate also provided a written statement that he received drugs from the sergeant, according to the report. Thompson had been a correctional officer with Tabor Correctional since July 2018 before resigning Monday. Those officers must cover two shifts and a number of them are off, sick or on vacation at any given time so only a fraction of the total staff was likely available to work the day shift on April 26. The Sheriffs Office will work with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to determine if more guns were stolen or if any were used in crimes. While Goodson had been in and out of prison, Pressley held out hope that one day he would come home for good. }. There has been no evidence indicating that either suspect represented themselves as police officers during the commission of the crimes.. More than 121 grams of synthetic marijuana was discovered during a search of the cell. McCoy heard the officer curse and saw her struggling with an inmate. Weve got a lot of folks who are not staying with us.. TABOR CITY, NC (WWAY) One correctional officer has been charged, and two others have resigned in the wake of the overdose death of an inmate at Tabor Correctional Institution. Meggan Callahan was killed there - allegedly by an inmate who beat her to death with a fire extinguisher. Tabor City Police Chief Donald Dowless says the investigation is continuing, and that the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation has opened a probe into the case.
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