Colo. Sheriff Says Inmates Sparked Jail Blaze
moke that sparked a lockdown and partial evacuation of the Pueblo County jail was caused by inmates using a lighter to melt plastic to make tattoo ink, Sheriff Kirk Taylor said Wednesday.
No injuries or damages were reported in Tuesday's incident on the fifth floor of the jail. Taylor said charges will likely be referred to the district attorney's office for review.
One charge likely will be introduction of contraband after deputies found a lighter hidden inside an inmate's rectum.
"We did find the source of the accelerant," said Taylor. "They were trying to make some kind of baseline ink, trying to melt chess pieces down to make ink for tattoos."
As of Wednesday, Taylor said the investigation wasn't complete and he declined to identify the inmates involved.
Deputies were still investigating how the lighter was smuggled into jail.
Copyright 2011 - The Pueblo Chieftain, Colo.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service