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More than 100 could face riot charges

October 24, 2009|By TODD KLEFFMAN

As investigators continue to sort through the chaos of the riot at Northpoint Training Center, a prosecutor anticipates at least 100 inmates will face criminal charges as a result of their conduct.

Commonwealth's Attorney Richie Bottoms said Saturday that preliminary conversations with Kentucky State Police investigators indicate that more than 100 inmates will come before a Boyle County grand jury on arson, rioting, assault and other felony charges.

"It's a challenging situation because we've got a mass riot going on and we've got to break things down to individual cases," Bottoms said. "I have met with the detectives a couple of times now and we do estimate there will be in excess of 100 inmates involved."

The Aug. 21 riots at the prison destroyed six buildings and rendered five of the six campus dorms uninhabitable, but only minor injuries to guards and inmates were reported.

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About 470 of Northpoint's 1,200 inmates have since returned to the prison.

Bottoms said it will be at least two months before the first of the Northpoint cases are presented to a grand jury.

"It's possible we may convene special grand jury sessions just to hear these cases. If we go that route, it probably will be after the first of the year," he said.

Corrections officials are conducting their own internal investigations into the riots. Department of Corrections Commissioner LaDonna Thompson told state lawmakers Thursday that some inmates also will be disciplined within the prison system, separate from any criminal charges that are filed.

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