The Maine State Prison warden is no longer running the Warren facility after a monthslong investigation into alleged hazing, harassment and inappropriate conduct between employees and prisoners.
Deputy Director of Operations James Hancox is now overseeing prison operations, Department of Corrections Commissioner Randall Liberty said in a Wednesday statement. He said he could not comment on the employment status of Warden Matthew Magnusson, and he did not address inquiries about whether others were still employed there.
Allegations of harassment, hazing, retaliation among employees as well as “inappropriate relationships” between employees and prisoners were reported in August, according to Liberty’s statement. The investigation seemed to reach a crucial point this week.
On Tuesday, Samuel Moore said he was working in the prison kitchen when prisoners were told they needed to stop what they were doing and head back to their units, he said. They were locked down for about three hours before employees told them the warden and other higher-ups were “no longer here,” Moore said in a phone interview.
The Maine Prisoner Advocacy Coalition has heard talk about inappropriate relationships within the prison and issues with hazing, but it doesn’t have any specific details about what has been happening, Executive Director Joseph Jackson said.
If there are hazing issues among staff, Jackson said he worries about what happens between guards and people who are incarcerated because of a power imbalance.
“Disruptions like these definitely cause a lot of angst amongst individuals, interruption and scheduled timing of normal operations,” he said.
Liberty has already taken some appropriate actions in response to the early findings, he said in his statement. There is an ongoing investigation by the Maine Bureau of Human Resources. The department is prohibited from providing additional details, Liberty said.
The Maine State Police lieutenant who oversees the area that includes the prison is “not aware of any active investigations,” agency spokesperson Shannon Moss said. Attorney General Aaron Frey’s office could not confirm any investigation at the prison, a spokesperson said.
“The Department does not tolerate misconduct, and it takes extremely seriously any allegations of misconduct,” Liberty said.
It marks the latest trouble at the top of a Maine state prison. Another official was indicted by a grand jury in July 2023 after he allegedly stole $10,000 from the state over the course of nine years.
Gerald Merrill was deputy superintendent and business manager at the Mountain View Correctional Facility in Charleston and the Downeast Correctional Facility in Machiasport. Melanie High, 67, was also charged. She allegedly bribed Merrill, who used state-issued credit cards to make payments to five companies controlled by High.