This story was produced as part of the Colorado Capitol News Alliance. It first appeared at cpr.org.
Former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters was involved in an altercation with another incarcerated person over the weekend at the La Vista Correctional Facility, a state prison for female inmates, in Pueblo.
According to a statement from the Colorado Department of Corrections, the incident occurred Jan. 18, and did not result in any injuries. Peters is currently serving a nine-year sentence for election fraud at the facility.
In surveillance video footage obtained by CPR News, Peters is seen grabbing another inmate’s neck in a scuffle. The video shows Peters dragging a cart — presumably a cleaning cart — across the room toward a closet. Another inmate walks towards the closet and appears to begin to move the cart away from the closet door when Peters emerges from the closet and grabs the inmate by her neck and pushes her. The two appear to exchange words before Peters lets her go and leaves the room.
The department says it is conducting an “administrative investigation” following the incident. And as part of standard safety procedures, Peters was moved to a different housing area after the altercation. Corrections officials emphasized Peters was not placed in solitary confinement, noting that La Vista Correctional Facility does not utilize solitary confinement. Moving inmates involved in incidents while an investigation is underway is routine practice, the department said.
No additional details about the cause of the altercation were released. A message sent to Peters’ attorneys was not immediately returned.
