Gould, Ark. – Inmates in one of the barracks at Cummins lit a trash can on fire and broke windows today, according to Solomon Graves with the Arkansas Department of Corrections.
No injuries have been reported.
It is not immediately clear if the barracks is one of those affected by the COVID-19 outbreak at the maximum security prison.
The Governor announced today that two inmates at Cummins died after becoming infected by the coronavirus in April.
The Arkansas Department of Correction replied to a media inquiry regarding what led to the situation with the following:
“Our officers are still assessing the situation. Until their work is complete, providing a cause would be purely speculative. I(t) does appear that the situation was contained to one barracks, with inmates breaking out windows and setting what is believed to be a trashcan on fire. We remain in full control of the facility, which has been on lockdown since mid-April as a part of our COVID response efforts.No staff were injured. No inmate injuries have been identified.”
Solomon Graves, Chief of Staff
Arkansas Department of Corrections
