Officials: Inmate holding hostage in prison
Posted December 13, 2009 10:00 pm
PINCKNEYVILLE -- Illinois prison officials say an inmate is holding an employee hostage at the Pinckneyville Correctional Center in southern Illinois.
The Illinois Department of Corrections says the hostage situation began around 10:30 Monday morning, and hostage negotiators remained on the scene late in the day.
The agency says around 2,200 male inmates in the prison are on lockdown and the facility is otherwise secure.
A brief statement from state corrections officials provided no other details.
A department spokeswoman did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment. An official who answered the phone at the prison about 75 miles southeast of St. Louis said he couldn't discuss the situation.