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Today in history
9 inmates injured in fight at prison Associated Press
Today is Saturday, July 12, the 193rd day of 2014. There are 172 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History: On July 12, 1984, Democratic presidential candidate Walter F. Mondale announced his choice of U.S. Rep. Geraldine A. Ferraro of New York to be his running mate; Ferraro was the first woman to run for vice president on a major-party ticket.
On this date: In 1543, England’s King Henry VIII married his sixth and last wife, Catherine Parr. In 1690, forces led by William of Orange defeated the army of James II at the Battle of the Boyne in Ireland. In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill authorizing the Medal of Honor. In 1909, the House of Representatives joined the Senate in passing the 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, allowing a federal income tax, and submitted it to the states. (It was ratified in February 1913.) In 1943, the World War II tank battle of Prokhorovka between German invaders and Soviet defenders took place with no clear victor. In 1948, the Democratic National Convention, which nominated President Harry S. Truman for a second term of office, opened in Philadelphia. In 1957, President Dwight D. Eisenhower was flown by helicopter from the White House to a secret mountaintop location as part of a drill involving a mock nuclear attack on Washington. In 1967, six days of race-related rioting erupted in Newark, New Jersey; the violence claimed 26 lives. In 1974, President Richard Nixon signed a measure creating the Congressional Budget Office. Former White House aide John Ehrlichman and three others were convicted of conspiring to violate the civil rights of Daniel Ellsberg’s former psychiatrist. In 1977, President Jimmy Carter defended Supreme Court limits on government payments for poor women’s abortions, saying, “There are many things in life that are not fair.” In 1994, President Bill Clinton, visiting Germany, went to the eastern sector of Berlin, the first president to do so since Harry Truman.
Ten years ago: President George W. Bush defended the Iraq war during a visit to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, saying the invasion had made America safer. Wall Street brokerage Morgan Stanley settled a sex discrimination suit brought by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, agreeing to pay $54 million.
Five years ago: Rebels in Nigeria set fire to an oil depot and loading tankers in Lagos, killing five people in the group’s first attack outside the Delta region.
P.O. Box 1800 Corinth, MS 38835
Saturday, July 12, 2014
WALNUT GROVE — Nine inmates suffered cuts and stab wounds during a fight at a privately run prison in central Mississippi, and the facility was on lockdown Friday, officials said. A fight broke out about 10 p.m. Thursday among a group of inmates in one of the six housing units, said spokesman Issa Arnita of Management and Training Corporation, which runs the Walnut Grove Correctional Facility through a state contract. “Officers attempted to stop the disturbance, but it quickly escalated,” he said. “The facility’s emergency response team was activated. The team used chemical agents to gain control of the inmates. The incident lasted one hour. The local police and sheriff’s departments were on site as a backup.” Arnita said the prison was on lockdown Friday. “We’re trying to determine how many offenders were actually involved the incident. The unit where the disturbance took place houses 240 inmates,” he said.
Nine inmates were injured. Arnita said seven were transported by ambulance to the local hospital. Three were then airlifted to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson. One inmate has since been returned to the prison. “We don’t have details on their conditions, and no names are being released at this time. No correctional officers were injured,” he said. The prison, the Mississippi Department of Corrections and local authorities are investigating the fight. The Walnut Grove prison has a history of troubles. In April, a federal prison monitor reported violence was out of control, drugs were being smuggled in and guards are not adequately trained. The documents were filed by monitors who oversee the prison and plaintiffs who sued over conditions there. MTC, who took over operation of the prison in 2012, disputed most of the findings. MTC said the prison “has made great progress in creating a safer environ-
ment for offenders and staff.” A Dec. 31 fight between two gangs left 16 inmates hurt and showed more improvements were needed, the monitor said. An MTC report said the fight went on for about an hour, with inmates using homemade knives and other weapons. Six prison guards and one supervisor were fired or resigned after the December fight, court papers said. Another staff member was placed on administrative leave. The monitor’s report said, among other findings, that contraband was being smuggled into the prison and security personnel were ignoring rules violations and fraternizing with prisoners. The prison is under legal scrutiny because of earlier misdeeds. The state removed youth offenders from Walnut Grove after U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves described conditions as “a cesspool of unconstitutional and inhuman acts” while it was being managed by Florida-based GEO Group. Reeves’ order came after a Jus-
tice Department report charged the state was “deliberately indifferent” to sexual abuse, overuse of force and inadequate medical care for young inmates. The state agreed to improve conditions. GEO Group gave up its contract and the Department of Corrections hired MTC to house adult inmates at Walnut Grove. Since then, all parties agree conditions have improved. The court monitors said half the security staff in December had less than one year’s experience. Vail said the staff doesn’t have “the necessary skill, experience, and custody expertise” to manage high-risk inmates and called on the state to limit the prison to medium- and minimum-security inmates. MTC, though, said staff meets state training standards. Utah-based MTC operates the East Mississippi Correctional Facility near Meridian, the Walnut Grove Correctional Facility in Walnut Grove, the Marshall County Correctional Facility in Holly Springs and the Wilkinson County Correctional Facility in Woodville.
Tennessee man accused in TennCare fraud case BY JEFF YORK For the Daily Corinthian
An Obion County man is charged in McNairy County with TennCare fraud for falsely reporting his income in order to obtain TennCare benefits. The Office of Inspector General (OIG) announced the arrest of Charles E. Oathout, 43, of Union City. He is charged with TennCare fraud and theft of services in McNairy County, where a Grand Jury issued the charges last month. Oathout fled the state and was
found residing in Alcorn County, Miss. Once he was located, he was returned to Tennessee to be served with the charges. Oathout is Oathout accused of failing to disclose his income to the state in order to obtain TennCare healthcare insurance benefits on behalf of
himself and his children. “We will look until we find people charged with TennCare fraud, so that justice can be served,” Acting Inspector General Robert White said. “People who misrepresent their income in order to gain TennCare insurance are committing a serious crime, and they will be prosecuted.” If convicted, Oathout could be sentenced to up to four years on the Class D felony theft of services charge, and two years on the Class E felony TennCare
fraud charge. District Attorney General Michael Dunavant will be prosecuting. The OIG, which is separate from TennCare, began full operation in February 2005 and has investigated cases leading to over $3.5 million paid in restitution and recoupment to TennCare, with a total estimated cost avoidance of over $173 million for the TennCare program, according to latest figures. To date, 2,136 people have been charged with TennCare fraud.
PINSON CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
“I don’t have the words. It’s just so great,” said a visibly emotional Sybil Pinson Mitchell. “I just wish my parents were here, maybe they’re watching.” A large crowd of local and state officials, family and friends gathered Friday morning at New Lebanon Freewill Baptist Church for the official unveiling of the sign designating the segment of Highway 364 from Highway 365 to County Road 2201 in honor of the young seaman’s ultimate sacrifice. Mitchell said she’s
grateful for everyone who helped honor her brother’s memory and believes the friendly, loving brother she still remembers and misses every day would be overwhelmed and grateful for the honor. She said she hopes the sign will encourage young people to learn about her brother and others who have sacrificed for their country. Mitchell’s son, the Rev. Robert Mitchell, said he grew up hearing about his uncle’s sacrifice and the way it changed his family and community. “The impact of that death was felt deeply in the family and the hearts
of the community,” he said. “That stain has been wrapped proudly and painfully around my mother’s heart.” State Representative Tracy Arnold said the highway designation is about honoring a true hero. “The English vocabulary cannot articulate the weight of the sacrifice when a man gives his life for his brothers,” he said. State Senator J.P. Wilemon, who helped author the bill designating the highway, said the sacrifices made by servicemen and women like Pinson, and by their families, have helped
Leeann Dodd will serve as secretary at Corinth Middle School. Central office additions are Christy Welch, special education coordinator, and Angela Brown Scales, housekeeping. The board approved the following as teacher assistants at CES: Kaiirya Davis, Glenda Rogers, Brittany Morelock, Elizabeth Fields and Kaylee Chism. Lottie Faye Moore will join the CES cafeteria. Hires for the 21st
Century summer camp program are Lisa Henry, teacher, and Bruce Miller, guitar instructor.
CHS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
it should be done before the second game, said Childress. Most of the heavy equipment work is done. “Everything is ready in terms of the football field with the exception as soon as the turf gets in, it will go down,” said the superintendent. Pittman had bid $179,624.50 on the track portion of the project. Other business included approval of a number of personnel actions. There were two resignations — Beth Stewart, Corinth Middle School, and Lindsey Dill, Corinth Elementary School. The fourthgrade teacher will be replaced by Melissa Henderson. Joining the high school are Kelly Hendrix, math teacher, and Rachel McCord, English teacher.
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the American way of life is used to honor those who have sacrificed to protect that way of life and he’s thankful for all those willing to serve. “I thank God that good men like Oliver Wendell Pinson have sacrificed so that we can enjoy the American way of life today,” he said. Mississippi Department of Transportation Commissioner Mike Tagert said he’s thankful his department can help in a small way to honor the memory of those who have given so much. “He did his job and today is a small way we can give that back. We’re here today to make sure that we remember and we never forget,” he said.
keep America strong and everyone owe’s them a debt of grattitude. “Nothing we can do can ever fully express our gratitude for our servicemen and women and what they do for our country,” said Wilemon. The senator said he’s grateful for Pinson’s willingness to serve and give his all. “We’re grateful for his service in defense of our freedom,” he said. He hopes the highway designation will serve as a continuous reminder of those who have given the ultimate sacrifice. Prentiss County Chancery Clerk Bubba Pounds said he believes it’s especially fitting that roads and other pieces of infrastructure that supports
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