LIBERTY COUNTY, Texas — Inmates were able to take over part of the Liberty County Jail on Thursday morning, according to the sheriff’s office.
Liberty County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Oscar Martinez said it started around 9 a.m. when deputies began shakedowns in two different dorms.
According to Martinez, initially, the inmates were listening and following instructions, but after about 30 minutes, they started getting agitated. He said they started breaking windows, throwing things and using clothing to secure the doors.
The deputies were outnumbered, so they evacuated and secured the hallway while they waited for backup to get there. LCSO officials said 44 inmates were involved.
Liberty County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Bennett said his unit responded when they got the call. He said when they got there, the inmates had taken over two dorms.
The unit was able to go in and immediately take back the first dorm by getting the inmates to surrender.
“We had to go in with force and take back our facility, which we did exactly that. … Two dorms had been taken over. They started busting their windows. We were able to get one right away from just our visible force as we walked in,” Bennett said.
He said the inmates in the second dorm were more worked up and agitated, with four or five main instigators and others going along with them.
Eventually, Bennett said they deployed gas and waited about 30 minutes before going in and securing the second dorm.
He said one of the main instigators was injured and taken to an area hospital to be checked out. Everyone else was secured.
Liberty County Sheriff Bobby Rader said they’re looking for places to move inmates but the surrounding jails he checked with were all at capacity.
No law enforcement personnel were injured.