S.C. prisoners with illegal cellphones guided hostage rescue

Newsom says a group of inmates using homemade knives forced the guard into a broom closet.

Inmates at a maximum security prison in South Carolina used illegal cell phones to guide rescuers to a guard who was being held hostage in the facility.

A guard at the Lee Correctional Institution in Bishopville was rescued shortly before 10 p.m. Thursday, nearly five hours after being taken hostage.

Corrections Department spokesman Clark Newsom says the officer suffered cuts and bruises but was able to walk out of the prison. The officer's name was not released. He was taken to a local hospital to be examined.

Newsom says a group of inmates using homemade knives forced the guard into a broom closet.

Newsom told The State newspaper of Columbia that one or more inmates using illegal cell phones told officers where the guard was being held.