Nurse with Pipe Bombs

[Waxd0g]

NEWS SOURCE:Sheriff: Nurse Took Pipe Bombs To Alexander Prison - News Story - WSOC Charlotte

Alexander Correctional Institution

Alexander Correctional Institution is a 1,000 cell, close custody prison facility located in Taylorsville, NC.

The prison employs approximately 500 people including correctional officers, registered nurses, nurse extenders, mental health providers, dental, maintenance and administrative staff. The prison has a standard operating capacity of 1,000 inmates with 128 segregation cells and eight medical infirmary beds. Future expansion plans call for construction of a 252 bed minimum-security dormitory, and construction of an in-patient mental health and medical unit, construction date to be determined.

3:32 pm EST February 2, 2010

TAYLORSVILLE, N.C. -- A prison nurse is accused of taking two pipe bombs to the Alexander Correctional Institution south of Taylorsville.

Sherry Stella Bortz, who worked for three years in the medical unit of the all-male prison, was arrested over the weekend. Investigators said they were acting on a Crime Stoppers tip that said there might be drugs inside her car when they brought out search dogs on Friday.

A dog found pipe bombs made of black powder and screws that had a birthday candle as a fuse under the driver’s seat in Bortz’s car, investigators said. The bombs were detonated by a Wilkes County bomb squad late Friday.

Investigators are not revealing a possible motive in the case at this time. They said the bombs were never inside the prison.

“There’s no way under the sun that even if Ms. Bortz was wanting to take the pipe bombs inside the prison, it would never happen. Their security is great,”said Alexander County Sheriff Chris Bowman.

Bortz, 48, is charged with two counts of possession of weapons of mass destruction and one count of possession of a controlled substance. She’s being held in the Caldwell County Jail on $150,000 bond.

She’ll be in court in Taylorsville on Wednesday.

ALSO SEE VIDEO:

[KBCraig]

Hmmmm... contraband in a car in the parking lot, plus anonymous tip, smells a lot like a set-up to me.

[ranchhound]

I wonder how much she did manage to bring in before the County Sheriff was tipped off?

[Bowles]

So she was a nurse! Not that it makes any differance but the article listed on the DOC's Daily News clipings stated she was an officer. I looked her up to be sure and she is a nurse.
FYI, her staff ID is still active.

[prisonriot]

That's crazy. I'd love to hear what she thought she was planning to do with that pipe bomb. That prison was recently shown in a National Geographic special as one of America's "Toughest Prisons."

[Grandma]

Originally Posted by KBCraig

Hmmmm... contraband in a car in the parking lot, plus anonymous tip, smells a lot like a set-up to me.

recent divorce maybe?? Somebody has to know what's going on.

[Bowles]

It'll all come out in the trial...

[guarddog]

Wow, Another black-eye for prison staff vs. media. Dirty Staff just keep giving them fuel to make us look bad. WHEN WILL IT STOP!!!!!:****::****:

[Grandma]

Originally Posted by guarddog

Wow, Another black-eye for prison staff vs. media. Dirty Staff just keep giving them fuel to make us look bad. WHEN WILL IT STOP!!!!!:****::****:

it won't stop, people are human and mess up. The rest of us are too boring to catch media attention. Who wants to read about an officer doing the job day in and day out? At least we're not Catholic priests; they really have some negative press to overcome!!!