Dozens of weapons, cellphones, illicit drugs found in Hutch prison contraband sweep
An unannounced contraband search of the main prison campus in Hutchinson turned up cellphones, pills, illegal drugs and dozens of weapons crafted by the men incarcerated there.
Hutchinson Correctional Facility announced the results of Tuesday’s sweep in a news release. More than 1,000 men considered general population inmates were subjected to the search.
“The introduction of these items into any facility threatens the safety and security of the facility itself, staff and inmates,” Kansas Department of Corrections Interim Secretary Roger Werholtz said in the news release.
In total, searchers found 46 weapons, several pills and packages of illicit drugs, drug paraphernalia, 10 cellphones and eight phone chargers. Inmates found with the contraband will receive disciplinary reports, according to the release — although some of the items couldn’t be tied to specific prisoners.
Werholtz said the contraband is typical of what’s found in prisons, “but the facility is absolutely safer when we can stem the flow” of banned items.
Hutchinson Correctional Facility’s warden, Dan Schnurr, said the prison had been working to organize a large-scale contraband sweep but several recent fights between inmates moved up the search. The fights — all involving two or three inmates — also recently led the prison to halt visitation and restrict inmates’ ability to move freely, the release said.
The prison regularly conducts such searches.
Several officers helped with Tuesday’s sweep including ones from Hutchinson, Ellsworth and Larned correctional facilities, as well as troopers with the Kansas Highway Patrol.
“This kind of collaboration helps all involved gain additional knowledge and demonstrates how we can work together to keep Kansas safer,” Schnurr said in the release.
Hutchinson Correctional Facility has three all-male campuses: the main compound, or Central Unit, which was the subject of the sweep; a minimum-security unit outside of prison walls; and a medium-security unit about a mile east of the main compound.
As of Wednesday, it housed a total of 1,862 inmates.
This story was originally published February 14, 2019 at 6:10 PM.
