Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, April 16, 1993 TAG: 9304160262
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: LUCASVILLE, OHIO LENGTH: Medium
INMATES TRADE GUARD FOR AIR TIME
Inmates barricaded at the state's maximum-security prison for five days released one of seven prison-guard hostages Thursday night in a deal that let them air their complaints on a radio station.An inmate, identified only as George, said: "We either negotiate this to our liking or they will kill us. We are prepared to die."
Prisoners were prepared to release another hostage if they were given live television time on WBNS-TV in Columbus this morning, the inmate said.
Prisons spokeswoman Sharron Kornegay said the broadcast would be permitted, but the station couldn't immediately confirm such plans Thursday night.
The hostage release Thursday was described by an announcer for Portsmouth radio station WPAY as it happened live in the prison yard of the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility, where 450 inmates have been barricaded since Sunday.
Kornegay identified the hostage as Darrold R. Clark, 23, a guard since 1991. Clark was taken to a hospital in Portsmouth, about 10 miles south of Lucasville, where he was reported in stable condition.
Clark was released after the 15-minute broadcast. He walked out of the prison without assistance, leaving six hostages behind.
The body of an eighth hostage was found dead in the prison yard earlier Thursday.
Clark entered the yard from the cellblock with his head covered by a sheet and accompanied by the inmate, according to the live broadcast.
As the two moved to a table where a microphone was set up, the inmate took off his shirt to show that he had no weapons. The inmate then took the sheet off Clark.
The broadcast apparently had been set up during negotiations between the inmates and prison officials, who have been in sporadic contact since the standoff began.
"I know there's a lot on my shoulders right now. . . . I can't possibly remember all the demands," the inmate said. "We preferably would like to have an FBI negotiator. We want to get away from this administration. They are oppressing us."
Other demands cited by the inmate included replacing Warden Arthur Tate, whom he referred to as "King Arthur," and restoring water and electricity that have been shut off since Sunday.
The inmate said the inmates had no intention of surrendering. "We're not going to give up. . . . If we die, we die."
Earlier Thursday, activity around the prison increased after corrections officials announced that the body of a prison guard had been found. Seven inmates have died since the siege began, six beaten to death on the first day of rioting. The cause of death of the seventh hasn't been released.
Six military trucks and armed authorities moved closer to the cellblock, five of the trucks carrying armed troops. Contents of the sixth truck, which was covered, could not be seen. Twenty-nine military personnel vehicles and 20 armed officers also entered the compound.
The body of Robert R. Vallandingham, a 40-year-old corrections officer, was found in the prison yard outside the barricaded cellblock, Kornegay said. He became the first prison employee to die in the uprising.
An anchorman for WBNS-TV, Bob Orr, was allowed inside the prison for about an hour in the afternoon to discuss with prison officials what he said were "logistical questions" about giving inmates access to the media.
Earlier Thursday, a consultant to state negotiators had said talks were progressing and that both sides had developed "mutual respect" for each other.
Keywords:
FATALITY