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SC prison uproar over contraband quelled with tear gas

Riot was confined to one wing, but entire prison has been locked down as a precaution

By John Monk
The State

RIDGELAND, SC — A package of contraband tossed over a state prison fence sparked a near-riot Monday night and Tuesday morning at Ridgeland Correctional Institution in Jasper County.

All was quiet Tuesday morning and the hundreds of inmates are now locked in their cells and will be fed there for an indefinite time while officials sort out what happened, S.C. Department of Corrections spokesman Clark Newsom said Tuesday morning.

The actual uproar was confined to part of one wing of the prison, where there are about 120 inmates, Newsom said, but the entire prison has been locked down as a precaution for an indefinite time.

Full story: Ridgeland prison uproar over contraband quelled with tear gas