Attempted Arson In Rogers County Jail

A Rogers County inmate faces new charges tonight, accused of throwing fireballs out of his jail cell.

Sheriff Scott Walton says this is an example of what corrections officers can face.

Brandon Atnip was arrested for first degree arson.

Surveillance video shows what appear to be fireballs coming out of his cell.

Walton says “he’s not the first guy that we’ve had like this.  He certainly won’t be the last, but he’s a piece of work that’s caused a lot of problems.”

Walton says Atnip has been a constant troublemaker since he’s been in jail, including lighting toilet paper on fire and throwing it out of his cell.

“The majority of the prisoners want to do their time, get in and get out, with the least amount of problems as they possibly can,” said Walton.  “This guy’s an exception.”

Walton says Atnip identifies himself as an Irish mob gang member and believes he committed this latest crime to cause a distraction.

“He’s the absolute icon for constant thorn in somebody’s side,” stated Walton.  “When we think about a fire in a jail, it’s not something that you want to visualize because we’ve got not just a jail problem, but a community problem.”

According to Walton, this is a small example of what his corrections officers can encounter.

Walton says he takes the safety of both the inmates and his staff seriously.

“This jail is a safe place to be, but you have to follow the rules,” said Walton.