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Melee At Jail QuelledBy RICK NIELSENTwo women, reportedly angered over being segregated from other inmates, touched off a disturbance in the county women’s tail in Ventura today resulting in extensive flooding which briefly knocked out radio communications to deputies on patrol, a sheriff's official reported.One deputy narrowly missed being struck by a television set allegedly hurled at him at the outbreak of the melee, andtelephone service was interrupted by gallons of water cascading down three floors of the main building of the Sheriff’s Department.Dennis Gillette, commander of the custody division, said the disturbance involved eight sentenced woman inmates and two female prisoners awaiting sentencing He said no arrests have been made, pending further investigation of the incident. But. he added, those involved could be charged with inciting a riot, destruction of Jail property, assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer, ana rioting.Gillette said the disturbance erupted about 12:30 a.m. when two of the women inmates began shouting and banging on walls. He said the two inmates were reportedly angered because they had been segregated from other inmates as a disciplinary action They (the two women) had all the privileges of other inmates, but they were placed in a cell alone because of their bad conduct in the past,” the commander said He said female deputy jailers Immediately called forassistance and deputies from the men's Jail and a patrol rushed to the women's Jail Deputy Tom Convery, one of the first to arrive on the scene, said as he entered the cell block the women picked up a television set and threw it at him.He said he managed to avoid being struck as the set hit the, floor and shattered Other deputies arrived and managed to quell the distur bance within two hours At about 2 20 a.m.. however, inmates stuffed towels and bed sheets in toilets and sinks causing them to overflow and sending hundreds of gallons of water over the cell and down through the ceilings of the jail release office Into the radio room on the first floor It was like rain pouring through*an uncovered rooftop, said Windy Fuller, a sheriff’s dispatcher. Gillette apid the water flooded the new- radio console, knocking out the central dispatch of calls to deputies on patrol.He said all central calls were relayed to the Fast Valley Sheriff’s Station in Thousand Oaks until portable radio communications were set up.It was cumbersome, but we managed to restore radio communication within two hours,” said Gillette.He said deputies managed to cover the computer terminal with plastic-coated blankets, and there was no damage Ventura City firemen from two engine companies spent over 90 minutes vacuuming up the water, according to Gillette He said there were no injuries reported in the melee or as the result of the flooding.Gillette said the amount of damage to the facility from water was not determined He said the damage has the potential of being very extensive,” and is being assessed today.
Newspaper Details
Oxnard Ventura County Ad Visor
Oxnard, California, US
Thu, May 26, 1977
Page 40
Full Page
Clipped by
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WA, USA 01 Dec 2017
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