Remaining inmates evacuated
By Ethan Smith
Published in News on October 29, 2016 9:43 PM
Inmates that remained at Neuse Correctional Institution after a disturbance Sunday, Oct. 23, were evacuated Friday, according to a press release from the North Carolina Department of Public Safety.
Around 180 remaining inmates were moved to other prisons across the state, the release said.
A work crew of inmates will now occupy the facility and assist with repairs and restoration of the prison, which will take several months.
Keith Acree, spokesperson for the Division of Adult Corrections, said the prison was fully evacuated due to the extent of the damage caused by the disturbance. Officials do not know when the prison will reopen.
"We don't know exactly how long it'll be," Acree said.
Inmates set fire to several buildings when a disturbance broke out that resulted in broken windows, damaged dorms and two known assaults.
The two people who were known to be assaulted Sunday night were an inmate and a corrections officer. The inmate, Tristan Phillips, 25, is serving a one-year and one-month sentence for felony possession of a controlled substance, according to North Carolina Department of Public Safety records.
Police reports show Phillips was assaulted by three other inmates around 5:10 p.m.
Paris Michael Collins, the 34-year-old officer who was assaulted, has worked with the DPS since 2010.
Collins was not assaulted by Phillips, and information has not been released on which inmate assaulted Collins.
Inmates were also evacuated Oct. 10 due to flood waters from Hurricane Matthew. Prison officials remain quiet on what caused the incident that lasted nearly four hours - from 4:30 to 8:15 p.m. - before being brought under control.