The alleged rioters have been identified as Dylan Garbino, nineteen, Bryant Palacios and Shawn Camu, both 23, and Christopher Green, 26. All are charged with one count of rioting in a detention facility, conspiracy to riot in a detention facility and hazardous waste violation, as well as six counts of assault in the second degree -- the latter pertaining to the aforementioned number-one-and-number-two shower, which fits into this category of offense "under a special section of the statute," says John Schulz, public information officer for the Larimer County Sheriff's Office.
Schulz adds that a conviction for rioting in a detention facility alone could add two to ten years to an inmate's sentence -- not that the quartet's members have all been convicted. "Most of them are still being held for trial," Schulz says. "They're still proceeding through the court."Does that mean they could be found not guilty of the crime for which they were jailed but still wind up behind bars for a long stretch because of the melee? "That's exactly right," Schulz says -- and if they are convicted for other wrongdoing, "the sentence for rioting would be served consecutively, or in addition to any other time they have to serve. Sometimes, sentences against inmates get served concurrently, so it's not really any additional punishment. But for this particular charge, it would mean extending their sentence two to ten years if they're convicted."
What went down, in a manner of speaking? Around 7 p.m. on November 20, Schulz told us last month, the inmates are said to have poured out their shampoo and filled the bottles with stuff they'd emptied out of themselves. Then they opened fire, flooding not only their cell but an adjacent common area. At that point, the facility's Special Emergency Response Team (SERT) was called out, along with a K-9 unit.
The inmates then blocked themselves in their cells. One subsequently surrendered, but the other three refused to follow orders until jail personnel began removing the cell doors. At that point, jail administrator Captain Tim Palmer managed to convince them to remove the barricades.
Schulz conceded that jail officials don't inform the public every time poo is flung, because it happens more often than members of the general public know. But in this case, "it was an orchestrated attempt by four different inmates working in conjunction to cause a disturbance," he noted. "That raises it to a pretty high level within the facility. We regularly have people who get upset and do different things; that's just part of what happens in a jail. But the fact that the common area was flooded makes it unusual. Like the feces thing, flooding cells is pretty common, but flooding the common area isn't something we see very often."Speaking earlier today, Schulz said the number and severity of the charges against the men are based on their actions and not as a way to send a message to other inmates about the legal repercussions they'd face for pulling a similar stunt -- "but hopefully, it'll be a side effect of that."
After all, jail staffers already have to put up with another crap. Look below to see mug shots of Garbino and company.
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