Prison in Helena locked down after melees leave four inmates injured

HELENA, Okla. (AP) – The Department of Corrections locked down a northwest Oklahoma prison and transferred more than a dozen inmates after skirmishes erupted this week that left four inmates wounded.

The agency said in a news release Friday that two inmates at the James Crabtree Correctional Center were treated and released from a nearby hospital after suffering puncture wounds. Two others were treated at the facility’s medical unit. The medium-security prison holds nearly 1,200 inmates and is located in Helena, Oklahoma, about 120 miles northwest of Oklahoma City.

The agency’s interim executive director, Scott Crow, says prison staff broke up the fights before more serious injuries could occur. DOC says the two separate altercations broke out Wednesday just minutes apart. Prison officials are still investigating the cause of the fights.