MASSILLON, Ohio — Sunday afternoon, the Ohio Department of Youth Services (DYS) provided a news release and press briefing with updated information on Saturday’s contained barricade incident at the Indian River Juvenile Correctional Facility.
“We just started the initial investigation into this and that's going to take some time to figure it all out,” said Lt. Nathan Dennis of the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the agency leading the investigation.
According to DYS, around 12:45 P.M. Saturday an incarcerated teen took keys from a youth specialist working in his housing unit and proceeded to unlock the doors of other juveniles.
A total of twelve 15-19-year-olds ran to the nearby school building on the Indian River campus. The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC) special response team arrived at the facility to communicate with the teenagers to ensure their safe return to custody.
Teams from the Stark County Sheriff’s Office, Jackson Township Police Department, Massillon Police Department, and Canton Regional Special Operations Team also arrived at the scene to assist.
The group of barricaded teens refused to leave for hours and told the special response team they had made weapons from school supplies and tools in a construction vocational classroom. ODRC officers eventually went inside the building and used pepper spray to disarm the teenagers. They were taken back into custody shortly after midnight.
While events were unfolding inside, corrections officer Benny Wilmoth told News 5 he was in communication with some of his coworkers.
“They’re scared. They’re scared for their safety. These people are coming in and going to work and not knowing if they’re going to ride out in their car or be taken out in an ambulance,” Wilmoth said Saturday night.
Sunday morning, another corrections officer, who asked to remain anonymous, said he was inside the facility during the barricade situation and was worried for both staff and the juveniles serving time there.
“How do you think they look at us as staff, when they’re looking for someone to help them, and we can’t even protect ourselves?” the officer said.
DYS reported 3 other incidents earlier in the week where incarcerated teens assaulted staff members. One worker, injured Tuesday, was still hospitalized Sunday afternoon.
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Corrections officers tell News 5 they believe short staffing and mandatory overtime are contributing to an unsafe environment inside Indian River Juvenile Correctional Facility.
“I would like to speak right out to the governor and ask him, ‘What are you doing?’ This needs fixed ASAP before somebody loses their life,” said Wilmoth.
The anonymous officer added, “Does someone have to die for somebody to do something?”
Sunday, DYS director Amy Ast confirmed a 13-percent vacancy rate across the department's 3 juvenile detention facilities. She said at Indian River, there are typically 2-3 adults assigned to each housing unit of roughly 24 teens. Sometimes staff in other roles will fill in the gaps.
"We supplement staff if we have staff that are off sick or we have staff that for whatever reason that doesn't come into work or we have vacancies," Ast said. "We've utilized management staff to assist with coverage, we've utilized some of the admin professionals in that facility, we've had our training academy assist or parole officers assist. Central Office has been on site to assist. So we utilize a variety of different people who have the same training to assist when we have those vacancies."
Additionally, Ast said ODRC’s special response team will remain at the facility to assist with staffing and security, which will bring Indian River to full staffing levels.
DYS said none of the teens or responding officers were injured during Saturday's barricade situation. The juveniles underwent decontamination for the pepper spray and received medical evaluations. Half remained at Indian River, while half were transported to the Stark County Jail.
According to the release, the 12 teenagers are serving sentences for charges including but not limited to felonious assault, kidnapping, aggravated robbery, aggravated riot, and gun specifications. They are expected to face new charges for their involvement in Saturday's incident.
The damage to the interior of the facility is being assessed and the incident is under investigation by the Ohio State Highway Patrol. The release indicates that at no time was the public in danger.
Ohio Department of Youth Services Director Amy Ast plans to enter an agreement with the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction to supply youth specialists with body cameras, according to the release. The release goes on to say the youth specialists and corrections officers working in Indian River housing units will receive pay supplements through the end of the year.
Watch as News 5 provides coverage on the scene of the incident Saturday evening:
RELATED: Ohio State Highway Patrol: 'Contained barricade incident' at Indian River Correctional Facility over
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