Aug 16, 2015 2 min read

CLEARFIELD – Three inmates face charges in a melee at a central Pennsylvania prison that injured five guards and prompted a lockdown earlier this year, authorities said.

Clearfield County District Attorney William Shaw Jr. said other inmates who participated in the melee at State Correctional Institution-Houtzdale were identified and “further arrests will be made.”

Norman Wothman, 51, of Labelle; Yafest Oliver, 26, of Huntingdon; and Richard Adams, 34, of Huntingdon were charged with offenses including aggravated assault, assault by prisoner, riot and disorderly conduct, the prosecutor’s office said Friday.

Shaw said guards responded to an April 28 fight in the recreation yard between Adams and another inmate, and investigators allege Adams was seen “kicking another inmate in the head and face area as he was lying on the ground.”

Guards then ordered Adams to “cuff up,” but he refused all of their orders, and “took a fighting stance,” prosecutors said. As guards gained control of him, “they were assaulted by multiple inmates,” authorities said.

Prosecutors allege Adams and Oliver “kicked, stomped and punched” a guard while he was on the ground and who was later airlifted to a hospital. Oliver is also accused of having assaulted other guards by “kicking, punching and even using a staff radio to assault the officers,” prosecutors said.

Wothman was also seen hitting a guard in the head, and later refused to follow orders after the victims were removed to be taken to the hospital, prosecutors said.

“Instead, Inmate Wothman threatened other inmates who were attempting to leave and encouraged others to stay in the yard and assault other Corrections Officers,” prosecutors said.

Court documents don’t list attorneys who could respond to the charges against the defendants, who are no longer at SCI-Houtzdale.