Inmate uprising at jail quelled York County incident traced to overcrowding

ALFRED – Workers at the York County Jail started the week by cleaning up a mess made by inmates who smashed windows, set fires and flooded cellblocks during a disturbance that was quelled quickly.

No one was hurt seriously during the episode Sunday night, and order was restored swiftly by a force of 30 officers.

The incident began at 10 p.m. with inmates covering the glass with newspapers so jail officers could not see inside the cellblocks. There were nine corrections officers for 116 inmates at the time.

“For some reason – we don’t know – things just exploded,” York County Capt. John Angis said Monday.

The inmates began smashing televisions and windows, setting fire to newspapers, library books and Bibles, and flooding the cells by stuffing bedsheets in toilets and then flushing them repeatedly.

The fire, which eventually included mattresses, filled the entire back of the jail with thick, black smoke, Angis said.

The troublemakers made it as far as the jail’s control room, where they banged on the bulletproof glass but failed to get access to the jail nerve center, where they could have released locked doors.

Sanford police in tactical gear led a team into the cellblocks, followed by York County deputies, state troopers and Wells police officers. Three trained dogs also were on hand.

There were no serious injuries because jail staff prevented the officers from bringing batons into the jail, Angis said.

Instead, they dealt with the offenders with pepper spray. Only about eight or 10 inmates offered resistance, and they were quickly subdued.

“I’m proud of everybody,” said York County Sheriff Philip Cote. “They kept their heads and didn’t lose their cool.”

On Monday, the cellblocks smelled of backed-up toilets and smoke as employees from a glass company worked to install new safety glass to replace glass that was smashed the night before.

Sen. Michael McAlevey, R-Waterboro, Senate chairman of the Legislature’s Criminal Justice Committee, said Monday he would sponsor emergency legislation to cover the cost of repairs and staff overtime.

The six alleged instigators of the riot were taken to the Maine Correctional Center in Windham, Cote said. Another 40 inmates were moved to the Cumberland County Jail while repairs were made.

The reason things got out of control was overcrowding that has become routine at the jail, Cote said.

On Sunday, there were 116 inmates in the jail, which is designed for a maximum of 98 inmates. The facility originally was rated for 58 inmates, but double bunks were installed in most of the cells.

County voters have approved the spending of $20 million for a new jail but the initial bids came in over budget.

To deal with the problem, the jail typically houses 35 inmates at facilities as far away as Penobscot County, Angis said.

Another 24 or 25 low-risk offenders participate in a program that allows them to be monitored in the community, and an additional 10 or 12 are monitored electronically outside the jail, he said.

York County District Attorney Michael Cantara said the riot demonstrates the need for additional jail space in the short term.

“The riot also underscores the need for a new jail to be built as soon as possible. The population at the jail is not going to decrease. The trends indicate increases each and every year,” he said.