Prison "disturbance" draws all of Norton, Kansas' police, firetrucks
NORTON, Kan. -- The Kansas Department of Corrections said early Wednesday the situation at the Norton Correctional Facility was under control following what the department called a "disturbance" that lasted nearly four hours, reports CBS Wichita affiliate KWCH-TV.
A KDOC statement said two staff members sustained minor injuries but didn't provide details on what happened.
The department said all inmates are secured.
The Kansas Association of State Employees described the situation at the state prison in western Kansas as a "riot," but the KDOC only called it a disturbance, KWCH-TV noted.
Norton City Administrator Chad Buckley said all the town's firetrucks and its entire police department responded to the scene to assist corrections officials.
While the trouble was ongoing, the Norton County Sheriff's Office urged residents of the area near the prison to lock their homes and vehicles and stay indoors, KWCH-TV says.
The Norton prison housed 848 inmates as of Friday, with another 125 at a satellite unit in Stockton, to the east. Most of the inmates are either "low" medium-security inmates or minimum-security inmates. The prison is about 320 miles west of Kansas City.
The state saw multiple inmate disturbances in recent months at its maximum-security prison in El Dorado in southern Kansas.