Arizona
State Prison Complex-Lewis, Lewis, Arizona
November 6, 2009 Arizona Republic
Legal repercussions from Arizona’s longest prison-hostage saga
continue dragging through court five years later, but with a curious
twist: One of two women sexually assaulted during the drama is blaming
the other rape victim for allowing the violence to get started. The
Maricopa County Superior Court suit was filed three years ago by Lois
Fraley, a correctional officer at Lewis Prison who was held in a guard
tower for 15 days during 2004 by two inmates, Ricky Wassenaar and Steven
Coy. Defendants include Canteen Correctional Services Corporation, which
prepared inmate meals in a kitchen where the incident began, as well as
a company employee who was raped by Coy. That employee previously sued
the Department of Corrections and received an undisclosed financial
settlement after alleging that prison officials negligently allowed
violent felons to work with civilians in the kitchen. She blamed lax
prison security, inadequate training and incompetence. In the ongoing
case, attorney Joel Robbins, who represents Fraley, alleges that the
female kitchen employee failed to close and lock an office door as
required by prison rules. As a result, the suit says, Wassenaar and Coy
were able to enter the office and overpower the Canteen employee and a
DOC guard in the room. While Coy raped the kitchen worker, Wassenaar
went to a nearby guard tower where Fraley and detention officer Jason
Auch were on duty. According Department of Correction records, Auch
failed to verify who was at the door before pressing an electronic
buzz-in device. Wassenaar entered the tower, subdued both guards and
gained control of an arsenal. Coy then joined him. Auch was released
midway through the ordeal, while Fraley was held hostage and terrorized
for two weeks. A peaceful surrender was arranged with both inmates
promised out-of-state transfers to complete their prison terms. Fraley’s
lawsuit says Coy was able to fashion a homemade shank in the kitchen
using metal bands removed from milk cases that had been banned because
of previous incidents. Although Auch’s decision to open the tower door
was crucial later on, the suit argues, the rampage could have been
averted if kitchen employee upheld their security responsibilities: “Ms.
Fraley would never have had to endure the two weeks in hell but for
Canteen’s conduct.” Canteen Corp. contends in legal filings that the
company was responsible for preparing food, not overseeing inmates or
maintaining security. The trial has been tentatively scheduled for late
2011. As a state employee, Fraley was barred from suing the Department
of Corrections under terms of Arizona’s workers compensation law.
According to court papers, she sued Canteen on behalf of the state,
which owned the rights to her complaint. However, the state reassigned
those rights back to Fraley, subject to a lien. Arizona previously sued
its insurance company for refusing to honor liability coverage in the
prison saga. The outcome of that case could not be determined.
March 3, 2004
The prison where two corrections officers were held hostage is plagued by
unprofessionalism and complacency among officers, a panel reviewing the hostage
standoff said Tuesday. Procedures in the kitchen where the Jan. 18
incident began should also be reviewed. The two inmates, Ricky Wassenaar and
Steven Coy, were armed with shanks and were able to overcome the only officer on
duty there. In the future, the kitchen office should be locked and two officers
should be on duty, panelists concluded. The panel said the department
should also assess whether to continue to employ civilian contract workers in
the kitchen. One such worker was raped during the incident. Another failed to
show up for work that day, and is being investigated for a possible
involvement. That investigation should continue, the panel recommended.
The kitchen worker, who did not show up Jan. 18 and has since been fired by food
service company Canteen, has refused to cooperate with investigators. The
Arizona Republic is not identifying the man because he has not been named as
a suspect or charged with a crime. Attempts to locate him for comment have been
unsuccessful. Representatives with Canteen did not return calls seeking
comment. (The Arizona Republic)
March 2, 2004
Investigators are looking into whether a civilian food-service worker is linked
to a botched escape attempt that led to a 15-day hostage siege at the state
prison in Buckeye. The unidentified man reportedly was one of two
food-service workers assigned to the Morey Unit kitchen area at the Arizona
State Prison Complex-Lewis on Jan. 18, when inmates Ricky Wassenaar and Steven
Coy overpowered the other worker and two corrections guard. "There
were only the two employees scheduled for duty morning and when he didn't show
up, inmate Ricky Wassenaar began asking in particular where he was," former
Arizona Att General Grant Woods, co-chairman of an investigative panel reviewing
the hostage situation, said Monday. "There is cert suspicious circumstances
surrounding this employee." Authorities said the employee in question
left the food service company assigned to the prison shortly after the standoff
began and thus far has refused to cooperate in the subsequent
investigation. (KVOA.com)
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