Inmate to stand trial alone Monday for riot

  • By LIZ KELLAR
  • Friday, July 28, 2017 8:33am
  • News

A defendant in a 2015 prison riot case will go to trial alone on Monday, after a judge ordered a competency evaluation for one of the other three men in the case.

During a lengthy hearing Tuesday, Juneau Superior Court Judge Philip Pallenberg dealt with a myriad of issues involving scheduling, primarily involving the questions raised regarding Christopher Davison’s mental competency to stand trial.

Davison was one of eight inmates originally charged with felony rioting and criminal mischief in connection with the incident on Oct, 5, 2015, which reportedly caused thousands of dollars in damage but no injuries at Lemon Creek Correctional Center. Four of those defendants have taken plea agreements, including Tommie Snyder earlier on Tuesday.

Pallenberg noted that after a hearing on Monday that included observations from Davison’s counsel in several other cases, he was ordering a competency evaluation for Davison against the defendant’s wishes. It was not clear why Davison’s competency was questioned because that hearing was held in chambers. A status hearing was set for Sept. 28.

Because Davison would not be able to go to trial on July 31 as scheduled, two other defendants — Dalton Nierstheimer and Jordan Oldham — agreed to postpone their trial, which has been rescheduled for Oct. 30. They will return to court on Oct. 23 for a pre-trial hearing.

Davison is not “technically” on the calendar for that Oct. 30 trial date, but would likely also stand trial on that date if he is deemed mentally competent.

Justin F. Thomerson, meanwhile, was adamant that he wanted to proceed to trial, and as of the end of the day Thursday, no requests for a hearing to postpone appeared on the court calendar. Jury selection in his case begins at 8:30 a.m. on Monday.

Besides Snyder, three other inmates — Shawn Buck, Rodney Willis and Jose A. Munoz — have taken plea agreements in connection with the riot, which reportedly was sparked by changes to the phone system used by inmates that caused a jump in billing rates. On the night of Oct. 5, 2015, calls were abruptly stopped, and inmates became agitated by the fact that they would be paying for those disrupted calls.

In E dorm, inmates covered cameras and uprooted a table bolted to the dorm’s concrete floor. The table was wedged against the door into the dorm, and a window into the dorm was broken. Bathroom partitions and bunk mattresses were ripped from their places and shoved against the broken window in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent corrections officers from flooding the dorm with pepper spray through the resulting hole.

No one was injured in the riot, but Department of Corrections spokeswoman Sherrie Daigle said that visitation had been shut down after the incident and preliminary estimates measure the damage in the thousands of dollars.

Department of Corrections spokesman Corey Allen-Young confirmed the phone system still is being used at LCCC.

 


 

Contact reporter Liz Kellar at 523-2246 or liz.kellar@juneauempire.com.

 


 

More in News

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Aurora forecast through the week of Nov. 3

These forecasts are courtesy of the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute… Continue reading

A voter is handed as ballot at Woodworth School in Dearborn, Mich., on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. One of the most consequential presidential elections in the nation’s modern history is well underway, as voters flocked to churches, schools and community centers to shape the future of American democracy. (Nick Hagen/The New York Times)
Trump takes lead as more polls close in key battleground states

Former Republican president “clear favorite to win Georgia and North Carolina.”

Juneau Assembly members and other visitors gather in the entrance lobby of the Michael J. Burns Building on Monday, April 8, 2024, as part of their on-site tour of potential locations for a new City Hall. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
‘Office space shuffle’ for city workers continues with plan to buy part of Michael J. Burns Building

CBJ would purchase two floors, Permanent Fund Corp. would keep top floor under “condo” agreement.

Christopher Moore helps another Juneau homeless resident wheel her belongings from a makeshift campsite on private property near the airport on July 15. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo)
‘Dispersed camping’ worked better overall than homeless campground, Assembly members told

Scattered camping sites in Juneau less troublesome than fixed site last year, deputy city manager says.

Lemon Creek voters enter the Alaska Electric Light Power building as polls open at 7 a.m. on Tuesday. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Juneau voters keep turning out in large numbers as Election Day arrives

“It’s bigger than I’ve ever seen here before,” longtime precinct chair at one voting location says.

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

A long line of voters waits Monday at an early voting station at the Mendenhall Mall annex. Voting locations around Juneau will be open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)
Election Day in Alaska: When to expect results, and what to look for

First results should be posted online about 9:15 p.m., based on prior schedules.

Voters at Anchorage City Hall wait in line to cast their ballots on Monday, the day before Election Day. City hall, in downtown Anchorage, was one of the designated early voting sites in the state’s largest city; however, it is not an Election Day polling site. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
How to vote in Alaska: Options abound, but the deadline is almost here

In-person, mail, electronic and fax voting still possible on Election Day.

The Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump, appears on stage with U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., center, and Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders during a campaign rally at the J.S. Dorton Arena on Nov. 4, 2024, in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
‘Election Day is not results day’: Get ready for a wait to find out who’s president

Some Alaska results may not be known until 15 days after Election Day.

Most Read