Police Confirm No Escapees After Reported Nevada Prison Camp Riot
Feb 22, 2020, 5:10 PM | Updated: 6:55 pm
Wells Conservation Camp. (Courtesy Nevada Deptartment of Corrections)
(Courtesy Nevada Deptartment of Corrections)
WELLS, Nevada – Officials with the Wendover Police Department said no prisoners escaped from a Nevada prison camp after a reported riot.
Police warned residents to watch for possible escapees Saturday afternoon, saying staff at the camp could be under threat and some prisoners may have escaped.
Nevada Highway Patrol officials confirmed no one had escaped from the Wells Conservation Camp just after 6 p.m.
Undersheriff James Carpenter with the Elko County Sheriff’s Office said three-to-six inmates were involved in a physical altercation. They were treated for minor injuries and one inmate was transported to the Ely State Prison for further medical treatment.
The prison work camp is located about 30 miles west of Wendover, Utah, which is 120 miles west of Salt Lake City.
The camp has a listed capacity of 150 minimum custody inmates and is staffed by 13 employees, according to the Nevada Department of Corrections.
Officials said the majority of inmates are assigned to Nevada Division of Forestry fire crews.
According to the camp’s website, “NDF operates seven inmate work crews at WCC providing wildland firefighting support as well as working on a variety of projects locally including, but not limited to, wildland conservation, community projects, senior citizen assistance and highway beautification and cleanup projects with the Nevada Department of Transportation.”
Police called in backup from the Nevada Highway Patrol, Elko County Sheriff’s Office and Elko Police Department SWAT.
***** UPDATE ***** The Wendover Police Department has learned from NHP that no prisoners escaped from the Wells NDOC camp in Independence Valley.
Posted by Wendover Police Department on Saturday, February 22, 2020
