Six prisoners charged in jail disturbance

Six men have been charged in connection with a June 4 disturbance at the Hill County Detention Center. The men, all of whom were prisoners at the time, were apparently angry at not receiving commissary items and refused to return to their cells, according to the charging documents.

Prisoners jammed electronic doors with paper and combs, beat on windows with plastic toilet plungers and overturned a garbage can before they agreed to return to their cells, the document said. More than 20 officers from three law enforcement agencies responded to the disturbance, according to the documents.

The six men were charged Friday with one count each of felony riot. The charging documents also allow for a jury to consider three alternative charges: felonly incitement to riot, and disorderly conduct and criminal mischief, both misdemeanors.

The six men are: Curry Norquay, 19, of Chinook; Zachary Lopez, 25, of Santa Fe, N.M.; Casey Mummey, 23, of Havre; Bjorn Satrom, 21, of Havre; Lionel Demontiney, 21, of Box Elder; and Louis J. Morsette, 25, of Box Elder.

According to the charging documents, the disturbance began about 11 p.m. on June 4 when the six prisoners refused to return their cells for evening lockdown. Sheriff's deputies were called for assistance and entered the control room at the detention center, where they could see that prisoners in the medium-security C-pod and maximum-security D-pod had not returned to their individual cells and were still congregating in the pods' common areas, the charging documents said.

Demontiney was standing in the middle of C-pod with a towel wrapped around his face, the document said. Deputies believed he was using the towel to conceal his identity and for protection against the potenital use of tear gas, according to the charging documents.

One detention officer tried to enter D-pod to tell the inmates there to return to their cells, but could not because the locking electronic door had been jammed with plastic combs and playing cards, the document said. Lopez was standing on the other side of the door swinging a plastic plunger, the charging documents said.

Through the jammed door, the detention officer told the prisoners in D-pod to lock down, but they refused, the document said.

At this time, in C-pod, Satrom began beating on the pod door, which had also been jammed, and Morsette was yelling loudly and communicating to the prisoners in D-pod using hand signals, according to the charging documents.

In D-pod, Mummey picked up the plastic plunger and began beating on the windows to the control room with it, the document said. Norquay threw a garbage can into the air, emptying its contents onto the floor. He then picked it up and used it to beat on the windows.

Meanwhile, Lopez wrote gang graffiti on the cell windows using a tube of shaving cream, the documents said.

Prisoners in C-pod had put water and shampoo on the floor of the entry way of the pod to try to prevent detention staff from entering, the documents added.

One of the sheriff's deputies spoke with Lopez, Mummey and Norquay in D-pod, and told the prisoners they needed to return to their cells. The prisoners replied that they had not received items they had ordered from the commissary and would not return to their cells until they had.

The deputy was able to convince most of the prisoners in C-pod to lock down, though Demontiney and Morsette refused, according to the charging document.

Next, Szudera arrived and also tried to get the inmates in D-pod to lock down, the document said. Mummey responded by challenging Szudera to enter the pod, beating on the windows with the plunger, according to the documents.

The situation was resolved when U.S. Border Patrol agents and Havre police officers arrived to assist. A total of about 20 law enforcement officers responded to the disturbance, including detention officers already on duty, according to the charging documents.

Morsette and Demontiney returned to their cells, the charging documents said. The officers were able to enter C-pod using an emergency fire door, and unlocked D-pod using a key.

In D-pod, Mummey was handcuffed and Lopez and Norquay returned to their cells, the documents said.

Norquay, Lopez and Satrom are still incarcerated on other charges. As of this morning, the other three men were not being held in the Hill County Detention Center.