Ten Green Hill School Inmates Charged for August Brawl Motivated by Gang Rivalry

Seven of 10 Green Hill School inmates accused of brawling in the youth corrections facility in August appeared in Lewis County Superior Court on Tuesday facing charges of prison rioting.

Among the inmates to appear before Superior Court Judge James Lawler on Tuesday was Daniel A. Recinos, 18; Joel Oto, 18; Geavoni Jackson, 18; Orlando Calderon-Garcia, 19; Zachary Boyce, 18; Maurice Rivas, 18 and Francisco Herrera-Barnel, 17 (Herrera-Barnel was charged as an adult). 

Additionally, Sawnay Taw, 21, and Mik’l Sandoval, 20, who are listed among the co-defendants, are scheduled to make their preliminary appearances on Nov. 25. One inmate was also charged as a juvenile  with prison riot in connection to the case.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, the fight was spurred on by a gang rivalry.

On Aug. 27, a corrections officer was escorting a group of inmates  through a detention wing when another group of inmates being escorted appeared across the room.

Boyce is accused of starting the fight, according to the affidavit, by rushing over to the other group and taking a fighting stance.

Thereafter, multiple inmates rushed forward at each other and joined in the fight.

As the brawl began, a staff member told the inmates to not engage and return to their room, but apparently the request fell on deaf ears.

“(Rivas) began hitting (Recinos) after a staff member had started escorting Mr. Recinos away from the area. Mr. Recinos then slipped away from staff and joined the (juvenile) to fight another resident in the kitchen,” the affidavit states.

Calderon-Garcia allegedly started kicking Sandoval after he had been taken down by a corrections officer.

Taw reportedly broke free from the grip of Green Hill staff members partially and used his free hand to swing at Recinos. Herrera-Barnel was also reportedly involved in the fight in the facility’s B-wing and had to be restrained by a corrections officer.

According to the affidavit, the main fight occurred in the B-wing of the facility but the pandemonium of the brawl caught the attention of the inmates in the A-wing.

As inmates in the A-wing saw the fight, they began attempting to kick in the locked door that connects the wings to join in, according to the affidavit.

Oto and Jackson are alleged to have been in the A-wing attempting to join the fight in the B-wing.

After staff members told Oto and Jackson to stop kicking the door, Jackson reportedly balled his fists up and told staff to “put their hands on him again.”

At their preliminary appearances on Tuesday, Lawler ordered for all of them to be released — minus Jackson — on their own personal recognizance due to the fact they are already detained at Green Hill School

Jackson’s bail was set at $10,000 on account of him not being able to recite his anticipated release date, or even the release year, to Lawler. According to Lawler, bail had to be set in his case because he did not know if he was supposed to be released in two months or two years.

The seven adults that made their preliminary appearance on Tuesday are scheduled to be arraigned on Nov. 25.