Warden Stabbed In Prison Melee

An inmate stabbed his warden in the neck Thursday in the mess hall of a maximum-security prison, setting off a stampede of inmates who tried to take over the room that controls the prison’s doors.

A guard in the control room at the Buckingham Correctional Center opened fire on the prisoners, injuring four of them, none seriously, said David Botkins, a Corrections Department spokesman.

Later, a fire was discovered in the prison library that destroyed most of its books. Fire officials blamed it on the inmates.

The warden, Eddie L. Pearson, 49, was hospitalized in stable condition after the 1:15 p.m. stabbing.

When he was attacked, inmates began cheering and “chaos ensued” as one large group broke out of the recreation yard outside and rushed to the control room, Botkins said.

An assistant warden signaled one of the guards in the control room to open fire on the inmates, Botkins said.

Botkins, who refused to classify the disturbance as a riot, did not know how many inmates were in the mess hall at the time or how many tried to storm the control room. He also did not know what the warden was doing in the mess hall at the time of the attack.