Violence and drug smuggling incidents rocked Mohawk Correctional Facility in April, with four inmates injured and two visitors arrested after attempting to smuggle marijuana into the medium-security prison.
Between April 11 and April 23, four inmate-on-inmate fights left one inmate with a broken jaw and another with a ruptured eardrum, officials said.
Staff reported that one inmate suffered two fractures to his jaw after being attacked in a dorm. Another inmate sustained a five-inch laceration to his neck from an assault involving an unrecovered weapon. A third inmate was attacked while sleeping, suffering facial lacerations and a ruptured eardrum. A fourth inmate approached an officer after being attacked, showing injuries including a bloody nose and a bruised eye.
Authorities have not yet identified suspects in three of the four assaults.
In a separate series of incidents, two visitors were arrested after drug-sniffing dogs detected marijuana during visitation. On August 26, a visitor from Syracuse turned over five bundles of marijuana weighing 173 grams after a K9 unit alerted officers. She was charged with Promoting Prison Contraband 2nd and transported to the Marcy State Police barracks. On August 27, another visitor from Rome was caught with 74 grams of marijuana under similar circumstances.
In an unrelated event, an inmate collapsed outside a prison walkway and became unresponsive. Staff administered several doses of Narcan, reviving the inmate, who was later transported to a local hospital for evaluation.
“As many prisons continue to struggle with staffing shortages, the violence and drugs that have long plagued the correctional system continues,” said Bryan Hluska, Central Region Vice President. “We will remain committed to advocate for the men and women who continue to perform their duties on a daily basis despite the adverse conditions.”
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