Female guard taken hostage is freed unharmed at Oregon prison

SALEM, Ore. – A female prison guard was released unharmed after a male inmate at the Oregon State Penitentiary briefly took her hostage, officials said Tuesday.

Cpl. Rebecca McLauchlin was taken hostage by inmate Leighton Bates shortly before 10 p.m. Monday and was released at about 1 a.m. Tuesday, said Perrin Damon, Oregon Department of Corrections spokeswoman.

Bates, a convicted rapist and kidnapper, was being held at a special management unit inside the prison while Oregon State Police investigate, Damon said.

The Corrections Department also will conduct a review, she said.

Bates used a homemade weapon called a “shank” to take McLauchlin hostage while she was alone in a 560-bed section of the penitentiary, which is the state’s maximum security prison. No other details were immediately available, Damon said.