Fire started in county jail during riot

A riot in the Lawrence County Jail on July 15 resulted in the transfer of some prisoners to other facilities and an undetermined amount of damage that is still being assessed.
According to Lawrence County Sheriff Ryan Everett, the jailer had gone into the jail to serve lunch trays. A couple of hours later, before going back into the jail to pick up the trays, she noticed on the camera that not all lunch trays had been eaten. She then smelled smoke in the jail.
Monticello police officers assisted deputies in restoring order in the jail, and Monticello firemen gained access to the attic to extinguish the fire.
Everett said everyone who assisted knew what to do and did their jobs, which limited the damage caused during the event.

Read the full story in the July 22, 2020 E-Edition