Federal Court Rules With Warden In Prison Violence Lawsuit

Jurors in a Charlotte federal court Thursday ruled against an inmate who was suing a former North Carolina prison warden. The lawsuit contained accusations the warden fostered a culture of violence at the facility.

The lawsuit from convicted killer Stacey Wynn is the first of a handful against Lawrence Parsons, the ex-warden of Lanesboro Correctional Institution. The prison is thought to be one of the most dangerous in the state.

Wynn claims one of Parsons' subordinates, Jeffrey Wall, allowed inmate attacks to happen.

Charlotte Observer reporter Ames Alexander has been following the story. He says Wall admitted he kept various stabbing weapons, or shanks, in the ceiling of his office.

“That only came to light months after this inmate was murdered at Lanesboro," says Alexander. "The SBI was in the prison investigating that murder when they happened to get wind of these shanks in the ceiling.”

Wall was fired from the facility in 2013. Parsons has retired.