The inmates complained that they were mistreated by guards, let out of their cells only one hour a day and severely restricted in their ability to make phone calls or have visitors, Sherman said.Īccording to Sherman, a staff psychologist wrote a letter to prison authorities warning that Rodriguez was becoming mentally ill because of conditions at the prison and recommended sending him to Lompoc prison’s high-security ward, where he would be afforded more freedom. The area they are allowed out into is small.” The inmates repeatedly threatened to kill him as 30 SWAT officers stood just out of sight with automatic rifles poised.Ĭells in the high-security area on the fifth floor are “specially equipped to restrict movement of the inmates,” O’Connor said. Houston was bound at the hands and feet and was sitting in a corner of the cell, Sherman said. Monday after the inmates refused to continue negotiating with the FBI and the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Sherman said. Sherman and federal public defender David Cohen, who represented Cruz, were called in about 10 p.m. SWAT team members stormed the cell after Houston started screaming, said Sherman, who was representing Rodriguez on the drug charges.
#The hostage bonanza trial
Rodriguez was awaiting trial on the charge, O’Connor said. Fingerprint checks confirmed that Cruz was actually Emilio Bravo, who had escaped from prison in Dade County, Fla.Ĭruz pleaded guilty to charges of trying to rob federal agents in the sting and was awaiting sentencing. Drug Enforcement Administration agent in San Diego told The Times last month.
![the hostage bonanza the hostage bonanza](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/2c/98/04/2c9804edf8eb70e34a31dd2987b71a0f.jpg)
![the hostage bonanza the hostage bonanza](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/cnz-twKBrgY/hqdefault.jpg)
Cruz and Rodriguez, both 32, were being held at MCC on drug-related charges.Ī federal agent who had arrested the pair during a drug sting in San Diego recognized Cruz in October while watching a television program about unsolved crimes, a U.S. No details were available about how the inmates overcame the two guards or how Gibson escaped.Ĭruz previously escaped from prison in Florida, where he was serving two life sentences, O’Connor said. They had apparently fashioned a knife-like weapon from furniture in the cell. Ernest Olivo Cruz and Jose Rodriguez, both originally from Cuba, held Houston hostage in the cell they shared in a high-security area of the 12-story prison, O’Connor said.