Missing Vacaville Inmate Found Dead Following Prison Yard Riot

VACAVILLE (CBS SF) -- Several hours before an inmate was found dead inside his housing unit at California State Prison Solano in Vacaville on Monday, a riot involving 58 inmates occurred in a yard there, prison officials said.

The riot started around 7 a.m. Monday when dozens of inmates started fighting at one of the prison's Level III medium-security yards, prison officials said.

Corrections officers used pepper spray and other methods to quell the disturbance and three injured inmates were taken to a hospital for treatment, according to prison officials.

One officer who was injured when he was knocked down by inmates while responding to the incident was treated and released from an outside hospital. Prison staff recovered one inmate-made weapon, prison officials said.

Then at about 4:30 p.m., 24-year-old Nicholas Rodriguez of Alameda County was discovered missing during the evening inmate count. Rodriguez was serving an eight-year term for second-degree robbery.

Rodriguez was found dead around 9:30 p.m. in a confined space within his housing unit, prison officials said. It is believed Rodriguez was killed but officials provided no details.

California State Prison Solano investigators, the Solano County coroner's office and the state Office of the Inspector General were investigating the death.

California State Prison Solano opened in 1984 and houses approximately 3,800 general population inmates.

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