Inmates overpowered correctional officers and seized control of a North Carolina jail Monday morning, holding two guards hostage for hours before state and federal law enforcement retook the facility in a dramatic operation that underscored growing concerns about security and staffing.
The incident began around 5 a.m. at the Bertie-Martin Regional Detention Center in Windsor, where 88 incarcerated people and just three correctional officers were inside the 90-bed facility when inmates assaulted staff and took control of portions of the jail.
According to Bertie County Sheriff Tyrone Ruffin, one correctional officer escaped while two others were taken hostage. Local deputies responded within minutes but were unable to enter the locked facility, forcing authorities to establish a perimeter as tactical teams and negotiators from dozens of local, state, and federal agencies converged on the jail.
Negotiations eventually secured the release of the two hostage correctional officers and most of the inmates before tactical teams entered the building. By approximately 2 p.m., agents from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) and the FBI had regained full control of the facility.
Ruffin said in a press conference the incident ended with “minimal injuries,” and authorities confirmed all correctional officers and inmates were accounted for. The injured guards received medical treatment, while inmates were transferred to secure detention facilities elsewhere in the state.
The sheriff cautioned that investigators are only beginning to determine exactly how the takeover unfolded.
“Now that the incident has concluded, the investigation into what occurred and how it happened is just beginning,” Ruffin said during the press conference. He added that investigators from both the SBI and the FBI will conduct interviews in the coming days and promised the public continued updates as the investigation progresses.
One question likely to receive significant scrutiny is staffing. At the time of the takeover, three correctional officers were supervising 88 inmates, including detainees facing charges ranging from low-level offenses to murder.
Ruffin declined to speculate on whether the staffing level complied with jail policy, noting that the Bertie-Martin Regional Detention Center operates independently of both the Bertie County and Martin County Sheriff’s Offices under a regional jail board.
“I’m not for sure about the officer-to-inmate ratio, and so I’m not sure if that is a common ratio or not,” Ruffin said. “Again, we will get those answers in the coming days and relate it to the public.”
Authorities have not yet said what sparked the uprising or whether investigators believe inmates planned the takeover in advance.
The operation drew assistance from the FBI, the SBI, State Highway Patrol, the Department of Adult Correction, Alcohol Law Enforcement, multiple SWAT teams, bomb squad personnel, and sheriff’s offices across eastern North Carolina.
North Carolina Democratic Gov. Josh Stein called for those responsible to be “held accountable for this horrifying action” while urging a review of jail security.
“We also must do everything in our power to ensure this doesn’t happen again,” Stein said.
The Bertie-Martin Regional Detention Center remains closed while investigators assess the damage inside the facility and continue what officials say could be a days-long investigation.
