SSCF inmate was asphyxiated, fight happened in cell

A 19-year-old Vermont inmate can be seen on prison surveillance cameras entering the cell of fellow prisoner Dakota Gardner. The door closes behind him. http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20120424/NEWS07/120424035/Vermont-prison-assault-occurred-cell-?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

Vermont prison assault occurred in cell Dakota Gardner Dakota Gardner / Courtesy photo Written by Sam Hemingway A 19-year-old Vermont inmate, jailed for 18 months while awaiting trial on a charge of lewd and lascivious conduct, can be seen on prison surveillance cameras entering the cell of fellow prisoner Dakota Gardner. The door closes behind him. Eight minutes later — after prison officials discovered paper over the window of Gardner’s cell door and a team of guards intervened — inmate Ryan John was found near death, a sheet wrapped around his neck. Gardner, 21, of Springfield was inside, standing calmly against a wall. “It appears he was asphyxiated,” state Corrections Commissioner Andrew Pallito said, referring to John. “His injuries were extremely serious, and we won’t know the extent of the asphyxiation for several days.” John, of Springfield, remained in critical condition Tuesday at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H., a day after the alleged assault at the Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield. Charges are expected against Gardner, Pallito said. Pallito said a review of security video at the jail showed that John entered Gardner’s cell, located on the Foxtrot Unit at the facility, and closed the door behind him. A statement issued late Monday night through the Vermont State Police said the guards “administered life-saving measures to the victim.” “They probably saved his life,” Pallito said Tuesday. He said less than eight minutes elapsed between when John went into Gardner’s cell and when guards intervened. Pallito said the prison has 130 security cameras, but staff do not monitor the cameras individually. He said it was an infraction for an inmate to be in another inmate’s cell with the door closed. Gardner was moved to another cell after the incident, Pallito said. Pallito said he understood that John was 17 when he was arrested in connection with the alleged lewd and lascivious incident in Orleans County, and John has been in custody awaiting trial ever since. Orleans County State’s Attorney Ryan Franklin did not respond to a call seeking comment Tuesday. Gardner was serving time on a probation-violation charge in connection with an alleged aggravated assault in Brattleboro in 2009. Last week, Gardner was indicted by a federal grand jury in Rutland on charges that he made threats to kill President Barack Obama and injure Gov. Peter Shumlin and his family.