Sierra Conservation Center On Lockdown

Jamestown, CA — All state prisons, including the Sierra Conservation Center, remain on lockdown today after four officers were attacked by two inmates at the California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi 40 miles southeast of Bakersfield Thursday.

S.C.C. Spokesman Jimmy Hurtado says all 4,100 prisoners have been returned to their housing units whether that is a cell or a dormitory. Furtado adds that staff will still have to feed the inmates and now due to the lockdown, prisoners will have to be escorted for their medical and dental appointments. Critical workers will be utilized to run the steam, or feeding lines, at the prison.

The inmates carrying out the attack have been identified as members of the blue-clad Surenos, or the Mexican Mafia. One of the attackers is serving a 117 year sentence for attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon while the other is serving a 25 year sentence for first-degree murder.

Two sergeants and an officer were treated for lacerations, stab and puncture wounds. The three men are listed in stable condition. A female officer suffered unknown injuries and was also hospitalized.

Written by Bill Johnson