Press Releases

Offender Tyler Lanier (#1525824) died Sunday, Sept. 5, 2021, at Scotland Correctional Institution after an apparent suicide. He was found unresponsive in his cell around 9:30 p.m. The prison’s first responders performed lifesaving measures until local paramedics arrived who also worked to resuscitate the offender. He was pronounced deceased at approximately 10:00 p.m.

The Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice has named Mary Locklear as the new warden of the Lumberton Correctional Institution in Lumberton. She had been the assistant superintendent for custody at the prison since 2019.

Last night, ALE special agents partnered with local law enforcement in a statewide operation that yielded a large number of arrests, charges and the seizure of drugs, guns and cash. Throughout the summer, ALE special agents have worked to address violence at ABC permitted businesses as well as conducted multiple investigations following deaths resulting from alcohol related car crashes.

The N.C. Housing Opportunities and Prevention of Evictions (HOPE) Program has distributed more than $342 million in rent and utility payment to 96,944 North Carolina households since opening last fall. The HOPE Program now ranks #2 in the nation for number of households served and North Carolina ranks #6 for spending of federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program money, which is funding the current phase of the program.

On Aug. 21, Rutherford Correctional Center offender Christopher Ruona (#0785069) was pronounced dead at a local hospital after falling ill due to unknown causes. Ruona, 35, was taken by EMS to the hospital where he died in the emergency room.  An autopsy has been requested to determine cause of death.  

RALEIGH — A staffing shortage at two Asheville-area prisons has led to a temporary reconfiguring of staff and offenders. Craggy Correctional Center and Swannanoa Correctional Center for Women both have significant staff vacancies. To create safer staff-to-offender ratios, the state prisons system this week temporarily closed one unit at Swannanoa and reassigned 25 correctional staff from that unit to Craggy.

RALEIGH — An officer at Columbus Correctional Institution in Whiteville was assaulted this morning by an offender. The officer, a 17-year veteran, was alert when transported for medical attention. The assault occurred at 10:45 a.m. when the offender struck the officer with a fist, causing the officer to fall and cut his head. Local law enforcement was immediately notified and is investigating. The Department of Public Safety will seek charges and is fully cooperating with the investigation. An internal investigation has been launched as well. # # #

ALE has concluded an investigation following a single-vehicle crash involving a juvenile, alcoholic beverages and a fraudulent identification.  The investigation began after ALE special agents were contacted by State Highway Patrol regarding a single-vehicle collision involving two underage, intoxicated females. The driver, a 17-year-old juvenile, and passenger, Avery Wishnefskey, 18, of Iron Station, both had alcohol in their system at the time of the crash. Wishnefskey possessed a fraudulent NC driver’s license.

State correctional and local law enforcement officers are seeking Foothills Correctional Institution minimum custody offender John Curtis Anderson (#1338690), who escaped from the Morganton prison this morning by climbing a fence at the minimum custody portion of the facility and running away. He was last seen wearing green pants and either a grey or white tee-shirt around 10:15 a.m. at the prison, where he was serving a sentence of two years and 10 months for identify theft and fraud. He may have jumped into a waiting vehicle of unknown description.

Officials with the Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice have promoted Bill Woolard to Assistant Division Administrator in Judicial Division 1, effective Aug. 2, 2021. In his new position, Woolard will oversee Community Corrections operations in the 1st Judicial Division, which covers 32 counties in the eastern and coastal portions of the state.