Inmates allegedly assault 3 staff at Montana private prison

HELENA (AP) — State corrections officials are investigating an alleged assault on three staff members by inmates at a private prison in northern Montana.

The staff members were assaulted by two prisoners at the 600-bed Crossroads Correctional Center in Shelby on Friday, according to prison operator CoreCivic.

The two inmates allegedly responsible were identified and the staff members were transported to a hospital and later released, company spokesperson Ryan Gustin said.

At the time of the altercation, the prison was experiencing a water shortage, the Montana State New Bureau reported. The news outlet said an inmate described the shortage as causing tensions that led to the altercation, but Gustin said initial findings of an investigation showed no relation between the assaults and waters shortage.

The Montana Department of Corrections is investigating and will turn over its results to to the state Attorney General's Office for any potential charges.

Montana renewed its contract with Tennessee-based CoreCivic earlier this year. Part of the deal included a roughly 170-bed expansion as the Shelby prison transferred 90 federal inmates to the Great Falls Regional Prison and took in 150 state inmates from Great Falls.