MANSFIELD, Ohio – UPDATED 9:58 p.m.– An incident involving a hostage was reported before noon Sunday at Mansfield Correctional Institution. That incident has been resolved but remains under investigation.
“The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (DRC) confirmed today a hostage situation at the Mansfield Correctional Institution has come to a peaceful conclusion and the facility is secure, said JoEllen Smith, chief of communications at the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction in a statement.
“The incident began at approximately 10:30 a.m. and involved one employee and one inmate. Because of the collaborative work of the DRC staff and the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the incident came to a safe ending at approximately 9 p.m. The name of the employee and inmate are not be released by DRC at this time as the incident is actively under investigation.”
The Mansfield Correctional Institution requested the media’s cooperation by not reporting details that could serve to exacerbate the situation. The facility was on lockdown during the incident.
“The Department of Public Safety and the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction are deploying all of the necessary resources to successfully resolve this situation. The institution is secure,” Smith reported in the early evening.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol was on scene in the afternoon to help direct traffic and said the incident was being handled internally by MANCI. A Special Response Team also responded.
More information is not available at this time.
