Overview
- Early Monday morning a group of inmates at the 90‑bed Bertie‑Martin Regional Detention Center overpowered three on‑duty officers and seized parts of the facility while 88 people were inside.
- Negotiators secured the release of two guards and 18 inmates around 9:30 a.m., and a larger group of inmates left the building minutes later as officers maintained a secure perimeter.
- Federal and state tactical teams, including the FBI and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, entered the jail and cleared the facility by about 2 p.m., taking remaining inmates into custody.
- Officials said there were no fatalities, injured staff and inmates received medical treatment, and most detainees were transferred to other facilities while the jail is secured for damage assessment.
- Investigators will examine what triggered the takeover and whether chronic problems flagged in past inspections, staffing levels, or operating arrangements at the regional jail contributed to the breach.