Inmates at the Neuse Correctional Institution in Goldsboro, North Carolina set fires Sunday in a disturbance which led to the injury of one prison staff member and an inmate.
Two separate fires were set by a small group of inmates at around 4.30 p.m. before being brought under control by correction and law enforcement officers about four hours later. The minimum-security facility is for male inmates.
The staff member remains in hospital and is being treated for non-life threatening injuries. An inmate who was also injured has been treated and released from care.
Due to damage inside some sections of the facility, approximately 500 inmates were transferred to other prisons. Approximately 288 inmates remain at the facility.
The Prison Emergency Response Team, Goldsboro Police Department, Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, Johnston County Sheriff’s Office, State Highway Patrol, probation officers and other local law enforcement responded to the incident.
The prison’s mission is to process felons with sentences less than 24 months, according to the North Carolina Department of Prison Services. It has a total capacity of 828 inmates and a staff size of 279.
Currently, an investigation is underway as to who was involved and why the inmates started the disturbance.
The facility will remain on lockdown until further notice and the emergency response team will remain on-site to maintain safety and security at the prison.
Earlier in October the threat of flooding forced authorities to evacuate 797 inmates from the facility, near where the Little and Neuse rivers meet, to other prisons.
