Tuesday night, the Lee Correctional Institution is on lockdown. Inmates in the Sumter unit dormitory are holding a guard against his will, according to the State Department of Corrections spokesperson Clark Newsome.
He says a nurse was also in the dorm, but the inmates either let her go or she got away.
There are about 138 inmates in that unit.
Newsome says the prison is secure, and hostage negotiators are on the scene. He says the Corrections Department Rapid Response Team is on hand to assist if anything violent happens as well as deputies with the Lee County Sheriff's Office.
Newsome says they aren't sure of the inmates demands at this point and he doesn't know how many of them are involved. He says he's not sure if the inmates have a weapon.
He says the prison is secure and there's no danger to the public.
Lee Correctional Institution is a maximum security prison located near Bishopville off of Interstate 20.
