Four Green Hill School inmates are being charged as adults in Lewis County Superior Court for allegedly beating up another inmate in a gang-related attack inside the facility in May 2023.
The defendants — identified as Angel Lopez-Ledezma, 18, Jaime Lopez-Merino, 19, Kent Hewitt, 20, and Keegan Roach, 18 — are each facing one count of participating in a prison riot, which is a class B felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
The four co-defendants were reportedly part of a line being moved inside the facility on May 12 when they allegedly broke from the line and began to attack another resident from “a rival gang,” according to court documents. Roach was heard allegedly “yelling gang slurs” toward the victim during the attack, according to court documents.
“All of the above-named participants were members of a rival gang of the person attacked,” according to court documents.
The assault happened a couple weeks after a separate group of four inmates allegedly beat up another inmate at the facility while medications were being dispensed on April 26. All of the attackers in that case have been identified as gang members, according to previous Chronicle reporting.
The trial for that case is scheduled for Oct. 23, 2023.
Charges against Lopez-Ledezma, Lopez-Merino, Hewitt and Roach were filed in Lewis County Superior Court on Aug. 9, according to court documents.
All parties agreed not to set bail in this case at this time in order to keep them at Green Hill School, but said bail may be set later once the release dates for their Green Hill cases get closer.
Arraignment hearings are scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 7.
