BERTIE COUNTY — Inmates at the Bertie-Martin Regional Detention Center in Eastern North Carolina took control of portions of the facility on Monday, June 29, 2026, after assaulting on-duty guards. The incident, which began around 5 a.m., concluded by approximately 2 p.m. with assistance from negotiators and the FBI.

During the takeover, one guard escaped, while two others were taken hostage. Negotiators secured the release of the two hostage guards between 9:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. During this same timeframe, negotiators also facilitated the release of two groups of inmates, including one group of 18 individuals and another described as a large group.

Bertie County Sheriff Tyrone M. Ruffin stated, "I am relieved to report that the situation concluded safely around 2 o'clock p.m. today with minimal injuries." All inmates and staff members were accounted for shortly before 11 a.m. Some inmates and staff members received treatment for unspecified injuries.

SWAT teams entered the facility to assist in resolving the situation, and the FBI contributed to ending the siege. Following the incident, all inmates were transferred to other facilities, and the detention center is currently considered essentially closed. The facility, which has a capacity of 88 inmates, housed individuals ranging from lower-level offenders to those charged with murder.

The FBI and the State Bureau of Investigation are conducting a joint investigation into the incident. This investigation will examine potential inciting factors, including the environment and staffing within the jail. Ruffin noted, "There's a lot of questions about conditions of the jail, a lot of questions about staffing of the jail, and those are things that I do not have because I'm not over the jail. But as the investigation goes on, we will unfold those things." The Bertie-Martin Regional Detention Center operates as a regional jail under an independent agency.