A grand jury has returned a total of 66 indictments against a group of six inmates with reported gang ties involved in an attack on corrections officers at Wallens Ridge State Prison in May.
Three of the six inmates – Jeremiah Larenz Mouzon, 26, and Kevin Josue Soto-Bonilla and Melvin Edgardo Molina-Ramos, both 28 – face attempted aggravated murder charges, among others against them returned in the indictment.
Three others – Christian Rene Reyes-Coreas, 30, Armando Dagobert Reyes Reyes, 33, and Moises Alejandro Alfaro Olivia, 41 – face an array of charges that include malicious wounding.
Authorities are saying five of the six are members of the MS-13 gang, and the sixth is a confirmed member of the Sureño 13 gang and from the United States, serving a sentence for second-degree murder.
According to the initial report on the May 2 incident from the Virginia Department of Corrections, five officers were transported to a nearby hospital for outside medical treatment from the attack at the prison, which is located in Big Stone Gap, in Southwest Virginia.
It is now being reported that three officers were attacked by the group of inmates, with two of the corrections officers stabbed multiple times, and one other CO assaulted during the attack.
“Our corrections officers have an incredibly difficult job. I am thankful the corrections officers who were attacked in this incident continue to heal daily. I commend those who heroically intervened to save the lives of their fellow officers, who rushed to aid their fellow officers in the face of personal danger,” said Brett Hall, the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Wise County and the City of Norton.
“Today’s indictments begin the process to seek justice on behalf of the Department of Corrections officers injured in the line of duty and all those affected by this incident. We are grateful for the important work DOC officers and personnel do for our community,” Hall said.
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Chris Graham
