Jail rioters no match for staff

By Jon Johnson, Assistant Editor
Published on Thursday, July 12, 2007 3:12 PM MST

A riot in the Graham County Jail's maximum security B Hall on Wednesday was quickly quelled by jail staff armed with superior training and weapons.

According to Jail Commander Tim Graver, the riot was initiated after several inmates were disciplined for attacking a fellow inmate.

Graver said inmate Christopher Lee Harris allegedly asked another inmate to purchase an item for him from the jail's commissary. When the inmate refused, Harris and four other inmates, Josh Mobley, Julio Holguin, Randy Blackburn and Rosco Arrellin, attacked the inmate and beat him severely.

Harris is in the jail awaiting trial on aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charges and numerous other offenses, including possession of a dangerous drug, theft of means of transportation, discharging a firearm in the city limits and possession of a weapon by a prohibited person.

In reaction to the attack, UnderSheriff Dave Boyd ordered the deployment of the jail's Tactical Response Unit. The TRU took the inmates' jail clothes away and gave them a Nutraloaf for dinner. Nutraloaf is food that has been put in a blender with some flour and baked in a bread pan. Graver said the decision to feed the inmates Nutraloaf was because they had been picking the locks with the sporks they use to eat regular meals. Sporks are a hybrid form of cutlery that have a spoon-like shallow scoop with the tines of a fork. They are commonly used at fast food restaurants, school cafeterias and prisons.

"They didn't like having their clothes taken away, and they didn't like having the loaf, so they started kicking and banging (on their cell doors,)" Graver said. "The doors are so old that they are breaking the hinges."

The TRU then went into the hall and fired four large canisters containing liquid OC (pepper spray) and approximately 150 pepper balls.

Graver said the liquid OC rounds explode when they hit the walls and splatter the pepper spray around. The vapors then rise and, in conjunction with the powder of the pepper balls wafting down, work to saturate the area.

"That pretty much quieted the hall down," Graver said.

All of the inmates were locked in their cells when the liquid OC rounds and pepper balls were fired.

The inmates were checked by the jail's nurses, and four of the non-cooperative ones, Harris, Holguin, Blackburn and Arrellin, spent the evening outside in the jail's recreation yard.

"The problem is the jail's so overcrowded classification can't move anybody, and they're beating the hell out of the jail," Graver said. "We badly need the expansion. That will give us some breathing room."

Graver said the jail's locks are antiquated, and they have to spend approximately $8,000 a month on repairs alone. He said the jail should have a firm plan and design for its expansion by the first of the year.

"The board (Graham County Board of Supervisors) seems pretty intent on that," Graver said. "Mr. Cooper has been adamant that as soon as construction on the Eighth Avenue bridge starts we'll be ready to rock and roll."

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Comments

14 comment(s)

Genevieve wrote on Oct 22, 2009 7:59 PM:

" I visited this spot in 2001 and had a wonderful time, in the two weeks I was there I greatly enjoyed the spring, the people and hiking in the surrounding area. The time I spent here was the highlight of my winter adventure. I played dominoes, drank tequila and picked up pretty rocks (and soaked in the spring of course!) It sounds like some terrible things have happened since and it's a shame that it's now closed. I would have loved to have seen it again. "

Tricia Wenzl wrote on Sep 20, 2008 4:32 PM:

" Re: Eve Batchelder murder-2006. I personally knew Eve as did many of my other co-workers and we were appalled that her confessed murderer was allowed to plead to a lesser charge (obviously) to escape the death penalty. This was a pre-meditated murder and kidnapping, resulting in the death of a wonderful, gentle soul not to mention leaving her two children without their mother! Jason Martinez does not deserve to live at the expense of the taxpayers with the chance that he could be paroled! Society cannot afford to be "soft" for the fear of peer pressure. "

ciara wrote on Jul 17, 2008 9:06 PM:

" hi i would like to know what time the pool opens "

Warnar Moll Amsterdam The Netherlands wrote on Jul 14, 2008 11:20 AM:

" I agree with Rustom Kevala.
In literature there are many scientific indications that the preparation of the sacred liquid (Haoma),could not contain a Hallucinogen-Entheogen drug (cf publications of Harry Falk, Jan Houben, Frits Staal and the late Mary Boyce).
As a plant-physiologist and toxicologian, I did some study about the preparation of Parahom (as described in Avesta). From the scientic point of view it is impossible that the sacred drink is hallucinogen.
I do not understand the arguments of the Pima's Church of Cognizance.
It is as stupid as the assert: Jesus used Marihuana. "

tom wrote on Apr 19, 2008 3:15 PM:

" if having someone go through something like especially a child is not an invasion of privacy then nothing is but then thats the 9th circus for you "

F THE SYSTEM!!! wrote on Feb 14, 2008 9:15 AM:

" Who cares about ibuprofen anyways! its just a pill that peopel take for headaches and aches who cares about what the school system. If someone suffers from chronic headaches and stuff like that they should be allowed to carry it around. IT was a bad thing to distribute it around to others, but they should be able to keep it anyway. Its not like teachers are all that willing to let students out of the classroom just because of a headache!!! SMS should be sued. Strip searching a student like that should NOT BE ALLOWED!!!! "

LaVae McClellan wrote on Feb 5, 2008 1:51 PM:

" Eric and Kevin Yazzie are my brothers, they always will be. Yeah its true they had a history of fighting, but thats all u see. The Eric and Kevin i know are happy and fun loving, make everybody laugh. I miss kevin, but theres nothing we can do for him now. As for Eric they need to let my brother go already "

joe tapia wrote on Dec 9, 2007 8:05 PM:

" I have spent half of my life in this canyon along with my cusion juan luepke and I would like to know what threats to the public that our gate is causing. there is another way into the canyon then through our property. Just before you get to the cobra guest ranch on klondyke rd take the tully springs\old aravaipa town turn follow for about 4 miles there is a side road just after the second cattle guard the road turns east you have to open a few gates but there not locked. "

JOE TAPIA wrote on Dec 9, 2007 12:11 AM:

" THE ROAD THAT EVERY ONE HAS USED FOR THE LAST 20-30 YEARS, Is owned by my family. as I have been told to me by my father that the b.l.m and nature conseverency asked to use our road because their easement down by the river kept getting washed out by floods.So when norma put the gate up the b.l.m asked the conservency to redo the road by the river again conservency said no way. By,joe tapia "

Katelynn Nichols wrote on Dec 7, 2007 5:34 PM:

" Clifford Bea Fowler is My uncle ans my cousin Kelci's dad he may be a white supremeist but he still loves his daughter.But he should be held responsible for his actions. "

Stephen wrote on Nov 30, 2007 8:57 AM:

" My thoughts and prayer's go out to the late Bobby Bell's family. "

SMSmom wrote on Nov 9, 2007 12:11 PM:

" I will be notified if my child is in so much trouble that he may need to be stripped searched. "Depending on circumstances"--NO I WILL BE NOTIFIED!!! TRY ME!!! "

Keisha wrote on Oct 27, 2007 8:03 PM:

" I'm sure if these guys were a threat to society action would of been taken. I'm not condoning such behavior but Linda sounds like she's up to no good. "

linda wrote on Oct 26, 2007 11:59 AM:

" Is there any way to post the photos of these molesters "in" the schools so that the children and school staff may detect any possible molesters? After all they are the ones who would most likely see them. "

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