Folsom Prison Remains in Lockdown After Hostage Released

Folsom prison remained locked down but peaceful Sunday following a 10-hour hostage standoff a day earlier that ended with the release of a female guard, authorities said.

Officer Sheila Mitchell, a nine-year veteran, was taken at knifepoint in the dining room of California State Prison, Sacramento by inmate Michael David Watson. He surrendered after lengthy talks with trained negotiators and members of his family. No one was injured.

J.P. Tremblay, assistant secretary for the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, said that it would take at least 24 hours for the 2,970-inmate prison to resume normal operations. Internal affairs officers were investigating the standoff. Watson, who is serving his 12th year of a 26-year sentence for robbery and false imprisonment, had not yet been charged in the incident.