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| Tapes show negotiations with Ariz. inmates |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 02/23/2004 |
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Inmates who took two prison officers captive initially threatened to maim their hostages but slowly developed a friendly rapport with authorities, even joking with negotiators by the end of the two-week standoff, audiotapes show. The taped phone calls, played for reporters last Monday by the state Department of Corrections, detailed negotiators' efforts to build a relationship with inmates Ricky Wassenaar and Steven Coy. Wassenaar and Coy took two officers, a man and a woman, hostage at the Arizona State Prison Complex at Buckeye Jan. 18. The male officer, Jason Auch, was released Jan. 24. The woman was released Feb. 1 when the inmates surrendered. Her name has been withheld because authorities say she was sexually assaulted. Authorities eventually coaxed the two prisoners out of the officer tower in exchange for promising to transfer them to separate out-of-state prisons. But the 50 hours of tapes showed peace was not easily attained. During early negotiations, Auch could be heard screaming, "Please don't do anything! I don't want to die!" Coy occasionally answered the phone, but Wassenaar did most of the talking. Relatives were key late in the negotiations. Coy had long conversations with an uncle he called "Dad," and Wassenaar spoke with his sister, Rhonda Krenz. By Feb. 1, when the standoff ended, the tone of the talks was almost jovial. At one point, Coy answered the telephone saying, "Domino's. Can I take your order?" Wassenaar, meanwhile, exchanged pleasantries with negotiator Bob Ragsdale of the Phoenix Police Department, thanking him for the steak dinners that negotiators sent in the final hours of the standoff. Authorities filed a 25-count criminal complaint against the inmates last week, including charges of kidnapping and assault. Wassenaar also was charged with attempted second-degree murder for firing a rifle during the beginning of the standoff. Coy is accused of sexually assaulting the female officer and a female worker in a prison kitchen. |
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