COFFEE COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Coffee County Sheriff responded to a disturbance at the county jail Monday during which multiple inmates refused to come down from atop a closet.

The incident happened in the BA housing unit of the jail located on Hillsboro Highway in Manchester.

According to a press release, seven inmates climbed to the top of a janitor's closet in the Day Room. Sheriff Chad Partin arrived at the jail around 4 p.m. and reportedly tried to communicate with the inmates to find out "what the issue was."

After the inmates refused to comply with the "direction of the Jail staff and the Sheriff. Less lethal options were used in an attempt to gain compliance with directions to get down," according to the release.

The inmates continued to refuse to get down and "less lethal options were used in an attempt to gain compliance with directions to get down which met with one inmate coming down from the elevated position."

Short bursts from a fire hose were then used to "gain compliance" from the remaining inmates on the top of the closet. After that, all remaining inmates came down on their own.

No criminal charges were filed against the inmates but internal disciplinary actions regarding the actions of the inmates could be forthcoming.

It is not known if any of the seven inmates were injured in the incident. No additional information was immediately released.

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/coffee-county-jail-disturbance-protest/