Alaska State Troopers say they’ve charged several inmates at Fairbanks Correctional Center with rioting and assault for their roles in a disturbance at the jail Thursday that led to a lockdown and street closure.
Capt. Ron Wall, who heads up the Troopers’ Fairbanks-based D Detachment, said no serious injuries were reported and no escapes or other security breaches occurred during the disturbance, which was resolved without further incident after about an hour-and-a-half.
“At no time was there a breach in the facility,” Wall said.
He says corrections staff reported a disturbance in the jail’s A Wing at around noon Thursday. Troopers and Fairbanks Police sent their SWAT-style Special Emergency Response Teams to the jail and shut down Wilbur Street, which leads to the facility, for about an hour and 45 minutes.
Wall said Thursday afternoon that the disturbance had been quelled. “The situation is under control," he said, "all personnel have been secured and the investigation is now continuing, because there will be numerous charges for riot, assault, and so forth that will be forwarded through the court system.”
The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported that while Wilbur Street was closed, two ambulance drove into the jail parking lot. But Wall told a reporter that he wasn't aware of any significant injuries to inmates or correctional officers, nor to police or troopers.
One bystander who asked not to be identified said other facilities around the jail were operating under lockdown during the disturbance.
