An inmate at the High Point Detention Center tried to crawl into the ceiling of the facility’s attorney visitation room after meeting with his lawyer on Friday, according to sheriff’s deputies. Guards found the 34-year-old during routine morning rounds and seized several metal pieces that officials say had been turned into improvised weapons. The man, jailed since Feb. 27 on a larceny-of-a-vehicle charge, was reclassified as an escape risk after the incident.
According to the Charlotte Observer, the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office said the inmate removed a ceiling tile in the attorney room and climbed into a crawlspace above it. Deputies noted that the crawlspace does not lead outside the facility. The sheriff’s office told the paper that during the morning check, deputies located the inmate and recovered the metal pieces, which they say had been fashioned into weapons. Deputies charged him with felony possession of a weapon by a prisoner and added misdemeanor counts, according to the report.
The facility and visitation procedures
The High Point Detention Center is one of two detention facilities operated by Guilford County and offers attorney and in-person visitation during weekday hours, as outlined by the Guilford County Sheriff's Office. The agency’s website lists visitation schedules and notes that in-person visits take place in designated, monitored areas. Attorney meetings are held in specific rooms set aside for privileged legal contact rather than in general housing units.
Charges and reclassification
Following the ceiling crawl attempt, deputies charged the inmate with felony possession of a weapon by a prisoner and added misdemeanor counts of injury to real property and flight or escape, the Charlotte Observer reports. The paper notes he had originally been booked into the jail on Feb. 27 on a felony larceny-of-a-vehicle charge. According to the sheriff’s office, staff reclassified him as an escape risk and placed him under closer supervision while the case is further reviewed.
What North Carolina law says
North Carolina law treats possession of weapons in correctional settings as a serious offense in certain situations. The state’s felony offense list includes provisions for possession of a dangerous weapon in prison and related crimes, which can result in additional prison time if a weapon is used or an escape occurs, according to the North Carolina Courts. Penalties can vary depending on whether an escape or bodily injury takes place.
The inmate remains in custody at the High Point Detention Center. Court dates were not immediately available, and the sheriff’s office did not release additional details beyond its statements to local reporters.
