Uprising lasted five hours, ended with pepper balls
Six more inmates have now been charged in connection with a Dec. 20 riot in the Platte County Jail.
News of the riot was first reported by The Landmark last week and can be found at plattecountylandmark.com/2022/02/10/jailhouse-riot/
The riot, which lasted about five hours and appeared to have been prompted by inmates being disturbed by a lack of electronic cigarettes availability on that day, was stopped when SWAT teams from the Platte County Sheriff’s Department and the Clay County Sheriff’s Department fired pepper balls into the dayroom area.
Law enforcement officials say around 30 inmates were involved in the riot at varying levels.
Two inmates had been charged at the time of last week’s riot: Bruce Brandenburg, 38, of Nevada, Mo. and Christopher L. Mejia, 42, of Parkville. Both were charged with felonies of damage to jail property and misdemeanors of rioting.
As of Tuesday of this week, six additional inmates have now been charged. They are Zachary Mace, 33, of Kansas City; Stephen D. Smith, 34, Kansas City; Joshua Ray Vasquez, 38, Kansas City; Harvey E. Prewett, 40, Independence; Richard W. Dedrick, 37, Parkville; and Mason L. Harvey, 25, Kansas City in Platte County.
Vasquez, Smith and Mace face a felony charge of damage to jail property and misdemeanor rioting charge. Dedrick, Prewett, and Harvey are charged with misdemeanors of rioting.
As many as 32 prisoners could eventually be charged in connection to the riot, officials say.
“Riots have been rare in the Platte County Jail. They will not be tolerated. Everyone who participated in this riot will face consequences,” Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd told The Landmark.