The Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office filed charges against several Green Hill School inmates this month for alleged offenses that took place at the Chehalis juvenile detention facility.
Notably, five adult Green Hill inmates are now facing felony charges for their alleged involvement in a fight at the facility on May 7. Six juvenile Green Hill inmates were also reportedly involved.
Xavier Adrian Isiah Vaughan, 19, Andre Vasquez, 19, another adult not currently facing charges and three juveniles allegedly exited their wing while another inmate was let out to take a phone call, ignored staff directives to return to their wing, and attacked two inmates, identified as Rigoberto Sanchez Jr., 20, and another adult who is not currently facing charges.
During the fight, another inmate, Manuel Baltazar Aguilar, 18, allegedly ran in and began punching a staff member and another inmate.
While staff were breaking up the fight, another inmate, Jose Cisneros, allegedly “ran past staff and began throwing closed fist punches at another inmate before he could be subdued.”
Two other juveniles reportedly attempted to push past a staff member to join the fight, while one of the juveniles and Torres-Topete allegedly attacked Sanchez, who was in a sling.
“Vaughn was also fighting and ended up falling and being attacked by Manuel Aguilar, Rigoberto Sanchez,” and a juvenile, according to court documents. A sixth juvenile reportedly tried to get involved but “was eventually controlled before he could join in.”
Vaughan, Sanchez, Aguilar, Vasquez and Cisneros were each charged with one count of prison riot on June 25. Vaughan, Sanchez and Aguilar had their preliminary hearings on July 1 and their arraignment hearings were scheduled for July 11.
Vazquez, who is no longer in custody at Green Hill, has been issued a summons notice for an Aug. 1 preliminary hearing.
Cisneros had his preliminary hearing on June 28 and entered a not guilty plea on July 3. A trial setting hearing was scheduled for July 11.
Also charged with a count of prison riot last month was Conner James Hartwell, 19, who was allegedly involved in a fight on either March 29 or April 30. (The date of the incident was not listed consistently between the charging information and the affidavit of probable cause.) According to court documents citing Green Hill incident reports, Hartwell allegedly “used the restroom and, instead of returning to his assigned room, he ran into another room” and began attacking the occupant alongside a juvenile inmate. The two allegedly “continued the attack in defiance of staff directives.”
Hartwell was charged June 28 and had a preliminary hearing scheduled for July 9.
Also on June 28, the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office filed one count of weapon possession by a prisoner against Anthony Coen, 18, who allegedly “disclosed to staff that there were shanks in his room” on either April 18 or May 28. (The date of the incident was not listed consistently between the charging information and the affidavit of probable cause.) Staff reportedly searched Coen’s room and found the shanks, according to court documents. His preliminary hearing was scheduled for July 9.
One inmate, Dajon Jaquan Walker, 23, was charged June 27 with one count of possession of a controlled substance while in a state correctional facility after staff found 9.78 grams of THC oil during a cell search on April 24. His preliminary hearing was scheduled for July 9.
Four other inmates — Vaughan; Theodore Wheeler IV, 19; Jason Scott McIntosh, 18; and Joseph Allen Odden, 20 — have since been charged with possession of a controlled substance while in a state correctional facility.
Vaughan and Wheeler were each charged June 28 after staff found controlled substances in their respective rooms earlier this year, according to court documents. Green Hill staff reportedly found amphetamine in Vaughn’s room on either Feb. 16 or March 1, and found drug paraphernalia, marijuana joints, “white powder and rock substances” in Wheeler’s room on April 30.
Their preliminary hearings were scheduled for June 10.
McIntosh and Odden were each charged on July 5. McIntosh was the alleged owner of a red bag with marajuana inside that staff found at the facility on either May 1 or June 3; and staff reportedly found “a piece of foil with a liquid inside” in Odden’s room on either April 27 or May 28.
Their preliminary hearings were scheduled for June 10.
On June 25, Treyshawn D. Hilton, 22, entered Alford pleas to two counts of custodial assault and one count of prison riot stemming from a Jan. 24 incident where he allegedly got involved in a fight with four other inmates, shoved a staff member and hit another staff member in the face.
The charges were filed on April 19.
The Alford pleas allow him to take advantage of a plea deal without admitting guilt, while acknowledging that a jury presented with the current evidence would likely find him guilty.
He was sentenced to a total of 48 months in prison followed by 12 months on probation.
Green Hill School began reporting all seized contraband and all assaults involving three or more inmates to the Chehalis Police Department in October, according to Green Hill School interim Superintendent Jason Aldana.
In a statement to a Chronicle reporter in March, Aldana said he reached out to Centralia Police Chief Stacy Denham and Chehalis Police Chief Randy Kaut shortly after the Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team (JNET) executed a search warrant at the facility on Aug. 31, 2023. Unreported evidence and contraband was seized from lockers as the warrant was served.
Aldana said he met with Kaut and Chehalis Deputy Chief Matt McKnight in early September to go over a pilot system for reporting assaults and seized contraband to the Chehalis Police Department.
Kaut confirmed in April that the Chehalis Police Department does regularly recover contraband that has been seized by Green Hill staff. The department also regularly receives reports of incidents within the facility, including found contraband and prison riots, which are defined as a physical altercation involving three or more inmates.
The juvenile detention has been criticized by Denham and Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, on several occasions in the past year, with Braun calling on Gov. Jay Inslee to open an investigation. Inslee has refused to do so, though he has noted that there have been security improvements at the facility since JNET served the warrant.
The state Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCFY), which runs Green Hill School, announced Friday, July 5, that the juvenile detention center will temporarily suspend entries until the facility reaches “sustainable levels” of population.
According to DCYF, the overpopulation could take months to resolve. The move comes five years after the passage of JR to 25, which allows some offenders to serve their sentences in juvenile rehabilitation even after they become adults, took effect.
Instead of being sent to either Green Hill or Echo Glen, newly sentenced offenders will remain in custody at county facilities, according to DCYF, with the department providing financial support.
When two reporters from The Chronicle toured Green Hill in late March, a spokesperson said the facility housed more than 200 residents, which exceeded “best practices.”
In addition to an uptick in population, both facilities have seen a series of high-profile staff misconduct and other security lapses in recent years.
At Green Hill, a staff member was arrested in March for allegedly “turning a blind eye” while two Green Hill inmates attacked another inmate in early January. The employee faces one count each of prison riot, abuse of office and fourth-degree conspiracy to commit assault.
Months earlier, a staff member was arrested for allegedly bringing controlled substances into the facility, according to the Chehalis Police Department.
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