Private Security Van Crashes, Killing Two Inmates
Last updated Saturday, June 28, 2008 5:59 PM CDT in News
By The Associated Press
EL DORADO - The driver of a private security firm van ferrying prison inmates through south Arkansas fell asleep behind the wheel Friday, causing a crash that killed two prisoners and injured four others.
Gregory O. Reed, 43, of Missouri, Texas, was driving a van for U.S. Extradition Service when he dozed off around 6:20 a.m., the Arkansas State Police reported. State police Cpl. Jeff Hust told the El Dorado News-Times that prisoners began screaming "Boss! Boss!" and another guard grabbed the wheel and overcorrected.
The van struck a culvert and went airborne, ultimately rolling over twice before coming to a stop, Hust said.
Prisoners Shawn Talbot, 29, of Lady Smith, Wis., and Walter Ridley, 47, of Clarendon died at the scene of the crash. Hust said the inmate's bodies were sent to the state Crime Laboratory in Little Rock for autopsies.
Seven inmates and two guards were in the van, which was on its way to Little Rock. Hust said both guards were wearing seat belts at the time of the crash, while the inmates remained unsecured in the back of the van.
U.S. Extradition Service, based in Austin, Texas, transports prisoners and inmate trusties under contract with law enforcement agencies. Just before the crash, the van had picked up an inmate from the Union County jail.
Bill Brees, a spokesman for the service, said he had few details about the crash. He declined to comment, saying he wanted to first a preliminary report from the state police. A call to Gordon Brooks, the company's CEO and director of operations, was automatically forwarded to Brees.
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Hello wrote on Jun 28, 2008 9:52 PM: