Two inmates hurt in north Arkansas prison disturbance

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – Two inmates were hospitalized after they were injured in a disturbance at a north Arkansas prison, the state Department of Corrections said Thursday.

The department said 18 inmates in three barracks participated in the disturbance Wednesday at the North Central Unit in Calico Rock, situated 95 miles (153 kilometers) north of Little Rock. The trouble unfolded as inmates were not complying with staff instructions, the department said in a news release.

Two inmates were sent to outside hospitals with multiple lacerations and returned to the facility Thursday, department spokeswoman Cindy Murphy said.

No weapons were used by inmates during the disturbance, in which prison staff responded with pepper spray, Murphy said. No staff were injured, she said.

The department will refer the disturbance to Arkansas State Police after an incident report has been completed, she said.