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| Mass. jail inmates face charges in fracas |
| By The New Bedford Standard-Times |
| Published: 02/24/2004 |
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A disturbance at the Ash Street Jail in New Bedford, Mass. on Sunday morning turned into a near-riot after an inmate lit his cell on fire, prompting the evacuation of other prisoners. Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson said that an inmate from Taunton, Jason Rodriguez, 27, lit items inside his cell on fire shortly after midnight Sunday morning. Officers evacuated about 70 inmates from one of the historic jail's two triple-tiered cell blocks into the main courtyard outside. After the blaze was extinguished, Mr. Rodriguez goaded other inmates into refusing to return to their cells, Sheriff Hodgson said. "He began trying to incite the others," Sheriff Hodgson said. "He encouraged them to resist going back to their cells." Thirteen inmates, including Mr. Rodriguez, persisted in refusing re-entry, and the Sheriff's Department Special Operations and canine teams were brought in. Officers used chemical agents to subdue the inmates, handcuffed them and returned them to their cells. All 13 of the inmates involved will be charged with unlawful assembly, a crime that could add a year to their jail sentences if convicted. Mr. Rodriguez will also be charged with setting fire to a jail, which could carry a 10-year state prison sentence, according to the sheriff. Mr. Rodriguez, awaiting trial on illegal gun possession after a Dec. 29 arrest, had experienced a run-in with officers earlier in the week, Sheriff Hodgson said. Sheriff Hodgson said he will also seek full restitution from Mr. Rodriguez for the damage he caused to the cell and for the overtime costs associated with bringing in the special operations teams. |
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