ST. LOUIS — Charges have been filed against several inmates at the City Justice Center after a 73-year-old guard was assaulted and then held hostage for around two hours Tuesday morning.
Police announced Wednesday that Eric Williams, 20; Anthony Newberry, 29; Cleveland Washington, 21; Paul Mondaine, 29; and Earnest Lyons, 21, have been charged with kidnapping.
Additionally, Newberry and Richard Bolden, 30, were charged with destroying jail property, Mondaine was charged with unlawful use of a weapon and Williams was charged with third-degree assault of a special victim.
Three of the inmates are awaiting trial for murder charges.
Background of the suspects
Anthony Newberry, 29, is awaiting trial for first-degree murder, first-degree robbery and kidnapping charges in the 2021 death of 41-year-old Lynette Lecates.
Court documents said Newberry and another suspect put her in a trunk and drove her to several locations and repeatedly beat her as they tried to get her debit card and PIN so they could access her bank account. A passerby found her left for dead on railroad tracks, brutally beaten and with her dialysis port ripped from her chest. She died of her injuries more than two weeks later.
Eric Williams, 20, is awaiting trial for first-degree murder, armed criminal action and several other charges. He was 17 when he was charged in 2021 in the death of 20-year-old Joyce Freeman, who was shot in her car while preparing to head to a doctor’s appointment with her 4-day-old son and boyfriend.
Cleveland Washington, 21, is awaiting trial for first-degree murder, three counts of armed criminal action, two counts of first-degree assault, and unlawful use of a weapon. According to court documents, he is accused of fatally shooting Deionta McCurry after an argument in August 2022.
Paul Mondaine is awaiting trial for unlawful possession of a firearm.
Earnest Lyons, 21, is awaiting trial for first-degree robbery, stealing a motor vehicle and armed criminal action.
Richard Bolden, 30, is awaiting trial for attempted rape and a probation violation.
Timeline of the incident
According to a police source familiar with the investigation, the incident began when a 73-year-old corrections officer let two inmates out of their cells to help hand out breakfast trays. One of the inmates then struck him in the head and the other inmate struck him after he fell to the ground.
Video obtained by 5 On Your Side showed the inmates assaulting the man.
According to the source, both inmates then dragged the guard into the showers, took his mace, keys and handcuffs, and handcuffed him to the shower area. They then shackled his legs and removed him from the showers.
The inmates took the guard's radio and began complaining about a lack of hot food and demanding "pizza and chicken patties" in exchange for the guard's release. Some of the inmates armed themselves with brooms, cords, metal from TV brackets and other objects they could find.
The SWAT team was notified of the incident and responded to assist. Inmates sprayed responding SWAT team members with fire extinguishers when they arrived, the source said.
"Less-lethal" ammunition was used to bring the situation under control, the department said.
