news Alerts
There are no new alerts at this time
An inmate takeover of a North Carolina jail was resolved Monday after the negotiated release of two guards who were taken hostage and the transfer of all its inmates, authorities said.
Limited time: Save 25% on NBC News subscription
Get exclusive reporting, live Q&As and ad-free reading.
The takeover at the Bertie-Martin Regional Detention Center in Eastern North Carolina started about 5 a.m. and ended about 2 p.m., with some inmates and staff members treated for unspecified injuries, according to state and local authorities.
\u201cI am relieved to report that the situation concluded safely around 2 o\u2019clock p.m. today with minimal injuries,\u201d Bertie County Sheriff Tyrone M. Ruffin said at a news conference Monday afternoon.
One of three guards at the 88-inmate facility was able to escape after the takeover began, while two others were taken hostage, the State Bureau of Investigation said in a statement.
\u201cThe inmates inside the detention center assaulted on-duty guards and gained control of portions of the building,\u201d it said.
Between 9:30 a.m. and 10 a.m., negotiators secured the release of the guards and two groups of inmates, one including 18 people and the other described by the bureau as a \u201clarge group.\u201d
Shortly before 11 a.m., the bureau announced that the siege had ended with the help of the FBI and that all inmates and staff members were \u201csafe and accounted for.\u201d
Ruffin said guards who may have been injured were \u201cOK.\u201d
The facility, which Ruffin described as a regional jail run by an independent agency, has been essentially closed as damage is assessed, the State Bureau of Investigation said.
\u201cWe had to send SWAT teams inside of the facility, so there is damage,\u201d Ruffin said.
Inmates, including those Ruffin described as \u201clower-level offenders\u201d and some charged with murder, have been transferred to other facilities, he said.
It was not clear how many of the 88 inmates participated in the takeover, Ruffin said. That is the subject of an investigation by the FBI and the State Bureau of Investigation, he said.
He said the investigation will look into what might have incited the siege, including the environment inside the jail.
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of questions about conditions of the jail, a lot of questions about staffing of the jail, and those are things that I do not have because I\u2019m not over the jail,\u201d Ruffin said. \u201cBut as the investigation goes on, we will unfold those things.\u201d
The jail\u2019s administrator did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday night.
Dennis Romero is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.
© 2026 NBCUniversal Media, LLC<\/p>\n