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PIKEVILLE, Ky. — Four men lodged in the Pike County Detention Center have been charged with felony arson and inciting a riot.

Scotty Gibson, 24, of Prestonsburg, Christopher Bales, 24, of Wooten, David Pearson, 27, of Berea, and Corey Thompson, 24, of Stanville, were in a cell and allegedly started a fire Wednesday night.

“Myself and other deputies responded to the jail,” said Captain Dexter Coleman with the Pike County Detention Center. “They had made a small fire and they covered the windows up to block our vision with some newspapers.”

Bales is a state inmate being held at the Pike County Detention Center. Pearson is behind bars for a parole violation of a felony offense. Thompson is in jail on charges of assault, disorderly conduct, menacing and terrorist threatening. Gibson was originally being held in Floyd County for contempt of court and was transferred to Pike County after allegedly killing another inmate during a fight.

“No injuries to staff or inmates. We were able to remove them safely,” added Coleman. 

Thirteen inmates were in the cell when the incident took place. However, only four were charged.

“It’s very rare that a whole cell will act out. We have reconstructed how we make our rounds and have our employees in the cell more often. We’re trying to really fight the drug problems and I think inmates are aware of that and they’re lashing out. Hopefully we’ve nipped this to where it won’t happen any further.”

The Pikeville City Police Department assisted in the incident.