Director praises staff response to incident at Neuse Correctional Institution

A guard and an inmate were injured Sunday evening during a "disturbance" that began around 4:30 p.m., according to Soloman.

"We had several inmates who became disruptive, assaulted a staff member and began to move freely about the yard," he said.

Soloman said one inmate and one staffer were treated for minor injuries.

"It was an outstanding response. It was a lot of staff, but we accomplished the goal which is to minimize injuries, protect the public, and fortunately, there was no serious injury to staff or inmates," Soloman said.

While there was damage done to the facility, Soloman said this type of incident is something the staff is trained for.

"We prepare our special teams, we have a host of special teams," he said. "We prepare for the worst and hope and train for the best."

The Prison Emergency Response team, Goldsboro Police Department, Wayne County Sheriff's Office, Johnston County Sheriff's Office, State Highway Patrol, and probation officers responded to the incident along with two SWAT teams and two K9 units. It took hours to get the situation under control, authorities said.

A total of about 500 prisoners were relocated as a result of the damage.

An investigation into the cause of the disturbance is underway and the prison will remain on lockdown until further notice, authorities said.