Report finds riot at Kentucky juvenile jail was started by Louisville gang members

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville gang members started a violent riot at a juvenile jail in Adair County last year.

That finding was revealed in a state report released Friday.

The report said that on Nov. 11, 2022, a gang member from Louisville flooded his cell by pulling out a sprinkler head.

Investigators said the teenager attacked a corrections officer, fractured his skull, stole his keys and released two other members of his gang.

The trio eventually unlocked 32 other cells, unleashing chaos inside the facility. The riot led to property damage, physical assaults and the sexual assault of a girl in custody.

An investigation into the riot found it could have been prevented if staff realized the teens were members of the same gang.

"The three youths were not separated because intake staff did not have time for a proper intake and could not identify their affiliations," said William Spears, a committee analyst for the Legislative Research Commission.

The riot sparked an overhaul of the state's juvenile justice system. Lawmakers passed a bill earlier this year to re-open Louisville's Youth Detention Center under state control.

The state will spend more than $17 million to renovate the facility.