3449 S.W. State Road 26
Trenton, Florida 32693-0158
LANCASTER
"Correctional" Institution
(AKA "Klanlaster" for the pervading KKK presence)
Feb. 4, 2003
Kay, While I can not vouch for any of the KKK stuff, I can tell you that this prison is full of problems from the guards to the illegal smuggling in of contraband by those same guards. Drugs & Alcohol are used as rewards for inmates complying with illegal procedures at the facility. I was only incarcerated there for a few months but the memories still give me nightmares some 16 years later.
Signed IMJWBJR
3449 S.W. State Road
26
Trenton, Florida 32693-0158
352-463-4100
Fax: 352-463-3476
Another Place Run Especially for Florida's Youth.
Warden Thomas D. Varnes
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Warden's List
Lancaster Correctional Institution
3449 S.W. SR 26
Trenton, Florida 32693-0158
"The new warden at Lancaster Correctional Institution is actually:
Cheryl Phillips aka the ex- Mrs. Crosby and not a very good warden at that. I would take AC Clark as a warden (wart's and all) over this women. She should not be allowed to run a summer camp much less an institution. She has the people skills of a pet rock. " ~Correctional Officer
Ex-correctional officer charged in sex battery
Article published Apr 20, 2007 Gainesville.com
Apr 20, 2007
ALICE WALLACE Sun staff writer
Jeff Baxter
A former correctional officer at the Lancaster Correctional Institution in Gilchrist County is facing charges of sexual battery after he was found to have forced two inmates to perform sex acts on him in 2005, according to the State Attorney's Office.
Jeff Baxter, 35, has been charged with two counts of sexual battery by a person in a position of authority by the State Attorney's Office. He was booked into the Alachua County jail on a warrant Thursday, and each charge carries a bond amount of $50,000.
The incidents involving the inmates started sometime around Feb. 1, 2005, and continued until about March 31, 2005, according to State Attorney's Office records.
The charges specify that Baxter repeatedly forced the inmates to perform oral sex on him.
According to the Department of Corrections Web site, Lancaster houses youth offenders, and only males. Though the State Attorney's Office did not provide the age of the inmates who were allegedly the victims of the sexual battery, the report does say they were older than 12 years old.
Baxter was hired by DOC on July 30, 2004, and he was dismissed on April 21, 2006, as a result of an investigation by the DOC's Inspector General, according to DOC spokeswoman Jo Ellyn Rackleff.
He was a correctional officer and had a salary of $31,580, Rackleff said.
Rackleff said the DOC Inspector General's internal investigation into the sexual battery allegations was filed with the State Attorney's Office, which then resulted in the charges against Baxter.
Mon, 3 Mar 2003
Just a quick note I wanted to share with you. My son is currently in a Youthful Offenders Prison in Lancaster. This past week my son got a new cellmate. My son is white, this boy was black. This is not an issue for my family -- but it is in this prison run by the KKK. He tries to talk to this kid and the kid didn't want to talk, so my son didn't push the issue and when to sleep.
My son wakes up to this awful gurgling sound! He find this kid has taken his sheet and is trying to hang himself. So he grabs the kid and is holding him up so he doesn't hang himself and proceeds to yell to the guards to get help to get him down.
The guards respond and then proceed to tell my son that he should have "just let him hang"! I'm so upset I could just scream! How can people with no regard for human life be allowed to work with our kids?
Getting Off the Bus at Lancaster CI
Sun, 29 Dec 2002Dear Kay,
I know that my son was supposed to go to Lancaster. He was on the bus when guys' names were called to get off. His name wasn't called...as he was going to another institution. He witnessed the officers hitting the inmates getting off the bus. I'm so happy that my son was spared going there.Thanks.
"GOLD STAR for OFFICER DUDLEY, one of the very few blacks who work at Lancaster CI. One would be intimidated by his size, but his heart is larger than he is. He gave my child food when another officer refused him a lunch tray! Bless this man!!
From a grateful mother."
CRITICAL SITUATION:
ATTENTION:
There was an assault on an inmate on March 10, 2001.
Several inmates, maybe as high as 20, have been charged and found guilty for this one assault. However, it took about 2-3 weeks to even charge someone. They have possibly been falsely accused. There was indeed an assault, the big question is "who".
This is a youthful offender prison, inmates are already getting transferred over this. Where are they taking these young men? And why? Transferring to adult locations? From what I am hearing, it is the same officer (Coy) (who has also been accused of physical mistreatment) who is charging and writing up all these inmates.
I thought at first report this was " just another false DR" situation. It was not until more information arrived from separate sources that I began to realize the scope of this situation. The red flag went up when the guards said they have multiple witnesses. Everyone knows how hard it is to even get one witness to cooperate. But...they have multiple!
Phone calls need to be made! Rules and laws are being broken by people in uniform!
Remaining vigilant.
Kay Lee
New Arrivals:
If you could watch prisoners arriving at Lancaster from South Florida like clockwork every week, you would be stunned by the unprovoked violence of the guards.
The youthful prisoners are delivered by bus or van on Wednesday afternoons from Orlando. These are young kids because this is a 'youth' prison. The guards call them, with great distain and dislike, "the South Florida kids".
When the kids arrive, they are greeted immediately by aggressive, noisy guards who jump on the bus, screaming things like, "WHEN WE TELL YOU TO MOVE, YOU BETTER MOVE FAST, AND WE DON'T MEAN SOUTH FLORIDA FAST!"
Of course, the kids cannot possibly move fast enough, it is not meant for them to move fast enough: The guards immediately begin shoving and repeatedly kicking the shackled kid prisoners.They push the new arrivals off the bus, still shackled, causing them to land on their heads, or hands, the fall resulting in nasty cuts.
Then, while the stunned prisoners are down on the ground, the guards continue to kick them ... making sure the new inmates "know who is in charge.
This illegal behavior by Lancaster guards is ignored by wardens and staff of DOC.
In one instance, after this bus ordeal, an inmate went to medical with deep, infected cuts, and medical personal asked him what happened.
The kid said, "We were pushed off the bus", to which medical replied, "You must have fallen."
"NO," the kid says. "We were all pushed and thrown off the bus."
Medical again states with a warning tone in her voice, "Well, you were shackled. You fell."
The kid finally gets the message loud and clear.
That is Lancaster's medical department! You would think of all people to go to, the truth would be safe with either the chaplain or the medical!
Information about the new arrivals on Wednesdays at Lancaster:
"Wednesday, July 25th, 2001, when the guards stormed the bus, I guess they had a little too much "fun", as one of the new arrival's head was split wide open and requires (I say "requires", as I do not know what treatment was provided, if any!)numerous stitches. I don't know the outcome on this."
LANCASTER------FROM ANONYMOUS
July 28, 2001
Kay,
I read about the new arrivals at Lancaster CI, you were right about how they kick the new kids off the bus, while shackled.The guards got too carried away with one prisoner, and this resulted with his head being split wide open! I know he needed a lot of stitches, but that's all I could find out at this time.
Willie Hogan, God rest his soul, speaks out from the grave
Possibly Errant Guards
NOTE:
This whole place is reported over and over to be full of the Klan. The KKK! The sheets-over-the-head-crowd, those perpetually angry people that never take responsibility for their own actions. They thrive under the protective Wall of Silence in the DOC. This is not to claim that all of the following unprofessional guards are members of the KKK.
Sergeant "Five-or-Better: One sergeant at Lancaster CI appears to take pride in being called Sergeant 5-or-Better. If someone acts up (and sometimes the least little thing is called "acting up"), or makes this sergeant irritated, he picks one of the inmates out and says, "YOU! Pick 4 more!" What this means is the inmate is going to the box and has to choose four other innocent inmates to go with him. If the inmate refuses to choose the four, the sergeant picks the four biggest, baddest prisoners to send, thus leaving the original inmate in a sticky situation with the four chosen ones!
Tuesday, May 8, 2001
This is to inform you that Officer Sanders of Lancaster beat an inmate today for loud noise. He continued to beat him and another inmate threw something at the officer to stop Officer Sanders. Sanders pushed & shoved the inmate around the corner to avoid witnesses, however, some inmates followed as they knew this was the norm before a beating.
This is another example of the rampant abuses in the DOC. Lancaster needs to be investigated immediately, beginning with a surprise visit by an outside agency, and Officer Sanders needs to be fired and thrown in jail!
Many people question the recidivism rate---- well, here is your answer! Do something, Jeb! Are we waiting on another Valdes style murder?
Just sign me ,
Disgusted and horrified at the DOC,
L. Lewis
Sgt Register (sp?)- Retaliates if an inmate does not snitch by accusing the inmate of the wrongdoing. For example, if the Sgt. asks an inmate who did something and the inmate says, "I don't know, sir," the Sgt. replies, "guess it was YOU then!" and then charges the inmate a "DR".
Officer Cash at Lancaster, one of the guards that reportedly wear those KKK beads works the 4 - midnight shift. This shift is when the inmates see the beads on a number of guards.
Sergeant (Ms.) Whippy (sp?)-antagonizes inmates to the point where she hopes they will hit her. She reportedly has a hit list of inmates.
Warden Varnes for not returning phone calls to parents (more later).
Chaplain's Office for not returning phone calls to parents (more later).
Chaplain's Assistant for being rude and uncaring to the plight of prisoners and their families.
Officer Melvin Johnson
for writing bogus DRs.
Officer Bruno (sp)
because he punishes and retaliates by not letting the youthful offenders have their meal, even when he knows they have not eaten.
Mr. Schuknecht's Information
In the following letter, DOC's Fred Schuknecht claims the beating on this page took place on the 9th of May. However, since we heard about it on the 8th, this may be a second beating, but it's just not feasible to claim it happened the day after I was told about it. Either my source is psychic or someone has informed Mr. Schuknecht of incorrect information.
From: Schuknecht, Fred <schuknecht.fred@mail.dc.state.fl.us>
Sent: Thursday, May 10, 2001 3:20 PM
Subject: RE: Lancaster-----Another GUARD beat another inmate again TODAY!
This incident took place yesteday [sic]. Officer Sanders was conducting a bunk inspection; inmate Carnegie became disorderly and resisted when officer Sanders attempted to place him in handcuffs. During this time other inmates became disorderly, throwing various objects at staff. Inmate Carnegie and eight other inmates who participated were identified and placed in confinement. Inmate Carnegie was examined by Medical and no injuries were identified. He was also interviewed this morning and voiced no complaints. FS
Sigh... No, Mr. Schuknecht, after two days of being bombarded with guard threats, Inmate Carnegie probably didn't voice a complaint. It saddens me that you so accept these things at face value. We came asking that you intervene. All we expect is for DOC staff to conduct investigations as if they seek the truth.
Kay Lee
THE Prolific FLIES AT LANCASTER
"I can tell you from visiting there, the flies are rampant at Lancaster, as well as in other Florida prisons. During visits, once cannot even drink a soda or eat anything from the canteen without flies landing on them."
Even though the state has a budget for regularly scheduled extermination services, seldom if ever have inmates or families seen signs of the prison spraying for insects.
Where's our money going?
NOTICE
April 22, 2001
The FLIES are gone! At least in the visiting area! Of course, it's only April. They didn't bother to treat the kitchen and the dorms. But now it is the heavy odor of cow manure in the visiting area. I suppose the smell of poop outside the prison comes with spring in the rural area where the prison stands. The guard "poop" on the inside is year round!
August 28, 2001
My son was getting transferred, so he was put into confinement (YES! for getting transferred) and was asked to sign several papers, which he did.
He said, "May I make my phone call now (they have a right to a phone call when put in confinement) ? They said "NO! SEE, You just signed your refusal for that phone call!!"
If he had not signed, they would have issued him a "dr", for refusal to obey a verbal order!!
So, if this is how they "correct" youthful offenders. No wonder the youthful offenders recidivate more!!!!!!!ANONYMOUS
The K.K.K.
There are still reports of those guards that have ties to the K.K.K., no matter what the DOC "investigation" turned up! After all, northern Florida's panhandle is commonly known as the "Redneck Riviera" for a reason. The KKK seems to have taken over their new playground, the Florida DOC.
Some suspected K.K.K. guards work the 4-midnite shift. Those beads are still seen by inmates to this day.
"The blacks reportedly don't stand a chance at Lancaster, even the employees, if there are any. All visitors and inmates I have interviewed have never seen ANY blacks working there...not during visitation anyway: Only all whites..."
KKK in the Redneck Riviera 12-16-99
KKK in the Redneck Riviera 12-18-99
Other Dishonest Behavior
All the typical dishonesty seen at the other North Florida prisons about here: False DRs, and if their are witnesses, those witnesses get sent to the box, where they are reportedly convinced to change their story. If there is other possible evidence that would prove the targeted prisoners did not warrant the DR, the evidence is confiscated by a shakedown and tossed.
The assumption that all inmates are liars and all guards are truthful is dangerous and self-destructive.
