4 inmates charged following small jail fire

Mitchell Phillips

Preston Fraser

Jarrad Kingbird

Kyle Rackley

Four inmates in the Marion County Detention Center have been charged with offenses related to a small fire in their cell on August 11th.

According to the affidavits filed Wednesday, dispatch, smelling smoke, contacted deputies advising inmates in cell 8 reportedly started a fire.

Officers entered the cell, instructed all inmates to stand with their backs against the wall and were handcuffed. During this time, inmates from two other cells began banging on their doors and yelling to the inmates from cell 8 in an attempt to further agitate them.

With a burnt odor coming from cell 8, officers removed a number of items including a rock, burnt paper wrapped into what appeared to be a cigarette, lawn grass from the yard, a torn piece of an inmate’s jail uniform, a white bleach bottle with suspected orange juice inside, a squirt bottle lid, multiple foam cups, dirty trays and multiple orange drinking cups.

Inmates from cell 8 were laughing as officers cleared the area, with two reportedly using belligerent language toward the jailer. One inmate told the jailer they had been smoking the grass. Another told the jailer he would not find the lighter because it had been flushed down the toilet.

About a half hour later, dispatch advised officers cell 8 inmates were again banging on the door and yelling. As deputies entered the cell block, jailers advised cell 8’s door was barricaded, with a green sleeping mat covering the door, preventing them from seeing inside.

One inmate said he would have to be tased to be removed from the cell, with the others refusing to remove the items blocking the door. One jailer was instructed to unlock the door, with a second and a deputy pushing it open with their shoulders and arms. As they did so, they could feel resistance from inside the cell attempting to close the door.

Officers gained entry to the cell, removing one inmate, 23-year-old Jerrad Kingbird of Yellville, due to his actions, his safety and his continued banging on the wall and door. As officers were placing Kingbird in a restraint chair, he slammed his head against the block wall and continued to be aggressive and combative.

Kingbird, along with fellow inmates, 46-year-old Preston Fraser and 32-year-old Mitchell Phillips both of Yellvile, and 24-year-old Kyle Rackley of Flippin, were all charged with felony counts of furnishing prohibited articles, along with misdemeanor counts of obstructing government operations. Their bonds were set at $10,000.

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