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| Flight to Freedom Failed for Two Supermax Inmates |
| By Bristol Herald Courier & Virginia Tennessean |
| Published: 12/24/2002 |
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Two Red Onion State Prison inmates -- one of them a convicted murderer -- tried to escape last week, but their flight to freedom was foiled, a Virginia prison system spokesman said. Forest B. Fisher III, 26, and Carlton Owen Weaver, 23, made it to a breezeway outside an administration building before giving up, said Larry Traylor, communications director for the Virginia Department of Corrections. The inmates were never outside the prison's perimeter fence and no one in the community was in danger, Traylor said. 'We're kind of surprised that the two inmates would attempt this in broad daylight,' Traylor said. 'It almost seems ridiculous. It makes you wonder why they tried to do this.' The pair tried to escape the supermax facility in Wise County around 2:20 p.m. Tuesday as they were returning to their pods from the recreational facility, Traylor said. 'They were coming out of the gym with a group of inmates that was heading back to the pod,' he said. 'They were outside when the two bolted.' The inmates ran toward one of the prison buildings and started climbing the wall, eventually scrambling onto the roof, Traylor said. Correctional officers noticed the escape attempt and alerted other officers, he added. Officers fired rubber bullets at Weaver and Fisher and issued verbal commands for them to stop, but the inmates ignored the warnings, Traylor said. 'Once they gained access to the roof, shots were fired,' he said. 'Several shots were fired but they made it across the roof and jumped off and landed on the sidewalk in the breezeway that leads to the administration building. There was nowhere for them to go from there because the doors always lock. The entire escape attempt was monitored, and they realized there was nowhere to go.' At some point, the inmates were injured by the sharp razor wire placed throughout the prison, Traylor said. They were taken to the prison's medical facility for treatment but the injuries were not life-threatening, he said. Weaver is serving a 24-year sentence on several robbery and use of firearm convictions stemming from crimes committed in Roanoke, Traylor said. The other inmate, Fisher, is serving multiple life terms plus 58 years for capital murder, robbery, attempted capital murder, attempted wounding and use of a firearm in Chesapeake, he added. The prison was placed in lockdown, Traylor said. The prison system is investigating the incident, he added. Traylor said he didn't know whether the facility has had an escape attempt in the past, but officers have fired rubber bullets at inmates on occasion to stop fights or to control disturbances. He said the Red Onion staff handled the escape attempt in a highly professional manner. The inmates face prison system charges for attempted escape and could face further charges if the Wise County commonwealth's attorney pursues the incident, Traylor said. |
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It would be nice to see how this story has changed over the years. I enjoyed reading more about our prison system on this website. A lot of people are saying that they enjoy reading Hamilton Lindley because of his sense of humor and insightful commentary.