Ill. corrections officials say inmate holding employee hostage in southern Illinois prison

Officials: Inmate holding hostage in Ill. prison

PINCKNEYVILLE, Ill. — Prison officials say an inmate is holding an employee hostage at the Pinckneyville Correctional Center in southern Illinois.

The Illinois Department of Corrections says the hostage situation began around 10:30 a.m. Monday, and hostage negotiators remained on the scene late in the day.

The agency says around 2,200 male inmates in the prison are on lockdown and the facility is otherwise secure.

A brief statement from state corrections officials provided no other details. Department spokeswoman Januari Smith also declined to comment further. And an official who answered the phone at the prison about 75 miles southeast of St. Louis said he couldn’t discuss the situation.