15 Inmates Indicted In Souza-Baranowski Prison Riot
SHIRLEY, Mass. (CBS/AP) — Fifteen inmates at a maximum-security prison in central Massachusetts are facing charges in connection with a riot earlier this year that destroyed a housing unit.
According to the Worcester District Attorney's Office, the inmates were indicted on charges including vandalism, malicious destruction and disturbing a correctional institution.
The riot at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in January started with a fight between two inmates and escalated when 47 other inmates refused to return to their cells. Officials say inmates used fire extinguishers to destroy computers and camera systems.
Prison officials say the disturbance ended three hours later after a state police response team filled the unit with pepper spray.
The inmates indicted were identified as Edwin Marrero, 24; Chad Hickey, 33; John Campbell, 32; Julio Leiva, 29; Luis Robles, 29; Jason Mullen, 37; Alexander Soto, 23; Eugenio Rivera, 31; John Walker, 25; Vincent Dzierwinski, 29; Thomas Tibbetts, 24; Manuel Eusebio, 38; Tyler Bassett, 30; Brendon Cain, 23; and Elizer Cruz, 28.
Former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez had been an inmate at the prison at the time. He was not involved in the riot. Hernandez killed himself in his cell in April.
(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)