9 Charged in Jail Uprisings Known Gang Members

By URIAH KISER

STAFFORD COUNTY, Va. —  Several inmates at the Rappahannock Regional Jail face charges after two uprisings late last month.

The uprisings occurred on March 28 and 30 at the Stafford County facility, and were the work of a coordinated effort by jailed members of the gang Bloodline Imperial Bloods.

During the incidents, correctional officers were in the process of completing regular searches of the inmates’ cells when a group of inmates refused to comply with the demands of the officers. A special response team was called to remove them from their cells, but prisoners fought back by creating shields with their mattresses, they wrapped their bodies with towels, covered their faces with shirts, and then proceeded to fight with the officers, said Stafford County Sheriff’s spokesman Bill Kennedy.

During both incidents, while fighting with the jail officers, the inmates yelled at both the officers and other inmates in an attempt to incite other prisoners. A total of nine people face charges stemming from these incidents, stated Kennedy.

Roberto Roque, age 27 of Stafford County

Shawn Gatewood, age 28 of Charlottesville, Va.

Warren Williams, age 30 of Midland, Va.

Lorenzo Wheeler, age 23 of Crewe, Va.

Jaquan Nettingham, age 20 of

Stafford, Va., Justin Carey, age 24 of Oceanside, California

William Grimes, age 20 of Fredericksburg, Va.,

Colton Bragg, age 19 of Stafford, Va.

George Jackson age 23 of Fredericksburg, Va.

All have been charged with Gang Participation, Conspiracy to Entice a Riot and Rioting. Gatewood, Williams, Grimes and Bragg have also been charged with Assault and Battery on a Correctional Officer.

A convicted crowd

To say the inmates who caused two uprisings were a “few bad apples” would be putting it mildly.  All nine are convicted criminals who were already serving out prior sentences. Some were about to be transferred from the local jail to a state prison. Now, all will hang out a little longer as they face new charges that include gang participation, assault on a correctional officer, and rioting.

Roque was ringleader

All nine are members of the Bloodline Imperials, and their apparent ringleader inside the jail is 27-year-old Roberto Roque. Already convicted of burglary with the intent to murder, robbery, and several probation violations, Roque was headed to court on the morning of the first riot on March 28. Rappahannock Regional Jail Superintendent Joe Higgs said Roque was afraid correctional officers were going to search his cell and remove his property, which amounted to books, paper, and some personal items.

“There was nothing in [the cell] that would indicate his reaction to our search, other than the fact he is a known gang member, and then he incited others to join him,” said Higgs.

Those others included 28-year-old Shawn Gatewood, of Charlottesville, who is serving time for using a firearm in commission of a felony, and for tampering with the jail’s fire protection system after he was incarcerated at Rappahannock Regional Jail, said Higgs.

Warren Williams, 30, of Norfolk, is behind bars for identity fraud. Lorenzo Wheeler, 23, of Crewe, Va., stole someone’s ID to avoid being arrested, and has been convicted of assault and battery.

Justin Carey, 24, of California, was convicted of grand larceny. Carlton Bragg, 19, of Stafford, drove recklessly and stole money to land him in jail.

Lastly, George Jackson, 23, of Fredericksburg, abducted someone, assaulted a family member, neglected his children, and violated protective orders placed against him, said Higgs.

Gang taskforce

Each of these inmates are members of the gang, were being held in administrative segregation where each was confined to their own cell, and all were closely watched by the jail’s gang taskforce.

“Our gang taskforce is one of the best informed and trained taskforce in the commonwealth,” said Higgs. “I’ve got officers assigned to that who highly trained and skilled to approach, and identify gang activity.”

There are more gang members inside Rappahannock Regional, and that makes for “interesting housing” for the 1,500 inmates who live here, Higgs added.

During both uprising incidents last month, each of the nine inmates charged had to be extricated from their cells. Putting it into perspective, on average, Rappahannock Regional’s corrections officers perform about six inmate extractions per year.

Inmates serving 12 months or less typically serve out their sentences at Rappahannock Regional Jail. If sentenced to serve a year or more, many inmates are transferred to state prisons but, for some, the process could take up to a year, said Higgs