Disturbance Ends at Detention Center

Detention Center Staff worked with the SJCSO and Farmington Police Department SWAT Teams to remove detainees from both pods one by one, and non-compliant detainees were placed in lockdown. At no time did detainees control any part of the facility. It is important to call this incident a disturbance, rather than a riot.

Monday, July 13, 2020

From San Juan County:

Monday afternoon, a number of detainees at the San Juan County Adult Detention Center became agitated and started fires in two pods. Law enforcement was called in and the situation was ended with only one injury to report.

Starting Sunday afternoon, detainees demanded to talk to ADC administration. They presented concerns about receiving only one hot meal a day, not receiving coronavirus tests or test results. The San Juan County Adult Detention Center Administrator entered the pod and attempted to explain the answers to detainee concerns. Staff worked to deescalate the situation and provide for safety of detainees and security within the facility.
In response to the detainee concerns, for the last week, detainees have only received one hot meal per day. The reduction of daily hot meals is due to a lack of available detainees to cook the meals. There are two shifts of 6 to 7 detainees who work in the kitchen to provide meals for the facility. Low population in the facility has forced the temporary change.

Detention Center staff are currently following New Mexico Department of Health guidance for testing. Only detainees who have previously tested negative are being retested. NMDOH informs those who are tested by text message or letter. There is no provision for informing detainees. Detention Center Staff has promised to advocate for full facility testing and adequate notification.

Monday morning, the disturbance continued and detainees refused their sack lunches. Detention Center staff say that sack lunches provide material to ferment alcohol and detainees were illegally producing and consuming alcohol. Staff regularly checks for contraband of this nature and recovered some today. Again, the SJCADC administrator attempted to converse with detainees in B6, however the administrator was assaulted and a taser was deployed. Then detainees broke a fire sprinkler head off in the bathroom, flooding the pod. Detention Center staff moved out of the pod at that time. The fire suppression system was turned off.

Detainees later lit a pile of blankets on fire in the B6 pod, staff turned the fire suppression system back on and Farmington Fire Department was dispatched. The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office and Farmington SWAT teams were also dispatched.
The unrest continued in the B5 pod, where detainees started another fire and broke apart a bunk and used it as a battering ram to attempt to break down a fire door.

Detention Center Staff worked with the SJCSO and Farmington Police Department SWAT Teams to remove detainees from both pods one by one, and non-compliant detainees were placed in lockdown.

At no time did detainees control any part of the facility. It is important to call this incident a disturbance, rather than a riot.

About 35 detainees were involved in the incident, there was only one detainee injured and transported to the hospital with minor injuries.
The San Juan County Adult Detention Center will be referring incidents to the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office for review and additional charges.
As of the morning of Monday, July 13, 2020, there were 345 detainees in custody, 147 of which have tested positive for coronavirus. The positive detainees have been quarantined in 5 pods.

Coronavirus positive detainees have been monitored regularly and provided medical attention as needed.

KSJE update Monday, July 13, 2020 at 2:30pm:

(Photos courtesy: Devin Neeley, San Juan County)