Inmates kill six, take eight hostages in prison siege
LUCASVIl.LE. Ohio (AP) — Part of
Ohio's only maximum-security prison
remained under siege Monday offer hun
dreds of prisoners rioted, killing six
inmates and taking eight guards hostage.
The state prison chief said the distur
bance Sunday afternoon that preceded
the hostage-taking may have been a ruse.
"It appears as if there was a staged
fight.” said Reginald Wilkinson, director
of the Department of Rehabilitation and
Correction.
Guards were called to break up the
apparent fight, which involved a few
prisoners. "That's when several hostages
were taken. But a number of officers also
were able to break away from that situa
tion." Wilkinson said at a news confer
ence in Columbus. He wouldn't elabo
rate.
Negotiators tried to work out a deal
with some of the state's most dangerous
prisoners, asking them to free one hostage
in exchange for a chance to outline their
demands to the media.
About 450 prisoners were barricaded
inside one cellblock of the prison, locat
ed about 70 miles south of Columbus in
south-central Ohio. The real of the
prison's 1,819 inmates, including death
row inmates, were confined to cells away
from the affected area
Ten guards and eight inmates were
injured Authorities said the eight
hostages were alive.
Late Monday afternoon, prisoners hung
four sheets out windows of the r.ellblock.
One sheet said. "We want to talk to the
FBI." Another said. "The state is not
negotiating." Reporters were kept too far
away to be able to read the other two
signs.
Negotiations were continuing Monday
evening, said Sharron Kornegay. a
spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of
Rehabilitation and Correction
The prisoners "are tired and hungry....
We are at a very sensitive stage." she told
reporters outside the 69-acre prison.
Officials cut off electricity and water to
the cellblock and refused to deliver food
Prisoners were last fed at about noon
Sunday, but they may have stored some
food in their lockers, she said. They
didn't ask for food or medicine by Mon
day evening.
komegav said prisoner* who took 24
inch baton* from guards during the riots
killed the six convicts.
"I think it's probably pretty obvious
who killed them." she said "Our staff
wouldn't do that."
The bodies of five inmates, all severe
ly beaten, were released early Monday.
The sixth body, also beaten, was thrown
through a cellblock door later in the
morning. Kornegay said he had been
dead for many hours
The inmates had presented ltt
demands, most of them dealing with
prison rules. They also asked to talk to
the media. Late Monday afternoon, pris
oners hung a sheet out a window that
said. "We want to talk to the FBI."
David Morris, a prisons spokesman,
said ho didn't know if statu officials had
summoned federal agents
Negotiators told a pool reporter.
Michael Sangiacomo of The (Cleveland)
Plain Deo/er. that prisoners could speak
to the meditt only after releasing a guard.
Sangiacomo was allowed to speak to a
prisoner by phone once, but authorities
(.ut off the call when the inmate began
(diking About the demands.
Although c rowding is a problem, con
ditions are worse elsewhere The
l.uucsville population is 120 percent over
design capacity, while systemwide the
figure is 175 percent. It has four convicts
to each guard, while the statewide aver
age is eight convicts per guard
Sunday's riot was the first since the
prison opened in 1072. although there
was at least one hostage situation that
ended after 15 hours.
All of the state's 23 prisons were under
lockdown — confining prisoners to their
cells — Monday.
One disturbance was reported at the
nearby Scioto County Jail Sunday night
Inmates set fire to mattresses and
knocked down security cameras after
hearing a radio report about the riot, said
sheriffs Maj Delbert Slusher None of fin
prisoners in the cellhlock where the dis
turhance cm i urred was injured
All l.ucusvillu schools were t losod
Monday. Families of the hostages gath
ered at a high school ni ross the street
from the prison; prison offic ials refused
to let reporters talk to them
Document cites POW discrepancy
WASHINGTON (AF) — Tho
Clinton administration will ask
Vietnam to explain a secret doc
ument alleging that Hanoi hold
817 more American prisoners of
war in 1972 than authorities
acknowledged. U.S. officials
said Monday.
Tho officials said they had
some questions about tho
authenticity of the document,
which Kussian authorities
turned over to American ROW
researchers.
During negotiations on ending
American military involvement
in Vietnam, North Vietnamese
officials said in September 1072
that they held 3(>H American
POWs, according to the docu
ment.
But State Department
spokesman Richard Boucher
said the Russian translation of
the Vietnamese document indi
cated that Hanoi held 1.203 pris
oners. As part of a peace agree
ment signed in january 1973.
Vietnam agreed to release all
Americans held prisoner and
591 were subsequently returned
to U.S. custody. The last of the
POWs came home April 1. 197.1
The Clinton administration,
following the lead of the Bush
administration, has linked estab
lishment of normal relations to
Vietnamese cooperation on the
ROW issue
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“The POW-MIA issue contin
ues to be of great concern to the
president.” said White House
spokeswoman Dee Dee Myers.
“There can l>e no normalization
of relations with Vietnam until
we’re sure the Vietnamese are
doing all they can."
The document raises ques
tions that must he answered,
said Sen. John Kerry. D-Mass..
chairman of the Senate Select
Committee on POW-MIA
Affairs.
A committee report released
this year "indicated that further
information could be found in
the former Soviet Union — in
documents or in personal testi
mony.” Kerry said in a written
statement.
“My understanding is that
this new document was only
very recently provided to U.S.
officials and that it is still being
analyzed." the statement said.
"Meanwhile, our government
should continue to press the
Vietnamese government to
cooperate fully on the POW
MIA issue."
The document was uncovered
in January by Stephen J. Morris,
a researcher for the Harvurd
Center for International Affairs.
It purportedly was written by
Gen. Tran Van Quang. deputy
chief of staff of the North Viet
namese Army,
There can be no
normalization of
relatione with
Vietnam until we're
sure the
Vietnamese are
doing all they can.’
— Dee Dee Myers.
White House spokeswomen
Boucher said officials of the
National Security Council have
had several conversations with
Morris,
Last Thursday, the Russian
government turned over a copy
of the document to U S. officials,
who are evaluating it on an
expedited basis. Boucher said.
Ho added that Gen. John W
Vessey. who has been working
with the Vietnamese on the
l*OVV issue since 1987. will raise
the issue with Hanot when he
travels there next weekend.
Boucher said the document
will be Vessey's "first order of
business." Myers told reporters
at the While House. "We need to
know that the Vietnamese are
doing all they can on the MIA
POW issue (before) we can move
forward."
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Wing damage forces
Bush’s plane to land
HOUSTON (AH — A Kuwait Airways jut taking former Pres
idont Bush and ins family to Kuwait made an emergency land
ing shortly after takeoff Monday bec-ause of wing damage
No injuries were reported and the Hushes returned to their
Houston home without ini idenl They will try to fly again to
the emirate Tuesday morning on a new plane, said Andrew
Manor, a Hush spokesman.
The Boeing 747 took off from Fllinglnn Field 20 miles south
of Houston and was in the air for about one hour when it was
forced to land at Houston Intercontinental Airport, airport
spokeswoman Tina Ceppi said.
The plane had wing damage. Ueppi said, hut she had no fur
ther details.
Local bro.uh usts reported tli.il a gash was visible between
the left wing and fuselage
Hush, his wife Barbara and several other family members
were traveling to Kuwait for a three-day visit
The government-run Kuwait News Agency i arried a state
ment issued by the office of the emir, Sheik |al>er al-Ahmed al
Sabah, announcing that Kuwait was "making arrangements for
another plane "
Kuwaitis have prepared an extravagant welcome for Bush,
a national hero for his leadership in the Desert Storm campaign
that liberated the emirate from Iraqi occupation.
One merchant donated !M> bottles of imparted perfume, ask
ing that it t>e sprayed along the route of Bush's motorsade A
Kuwaiti Bedouin has offered a prize racing camul as a gift, and
another businessman has volunteered to pay for shipping the
lieost to the states
The wife of a former prisoner of war wants to give Bush a key
chain and worry lieads her husband made in captivity
"It is going to lie festive and. if security will let them. I think
Kuwaitis will carry his car," said Fuad al-Hashem, a columnist
fora Kuwaiti newspaper.