Five Carbon County inmates have been charged following an incident that occurred at the prison in Nesquehoning on April 7.

During the county prison board meeting on Wednesday, District Attorney Gary Dobias, a member of the board, updated officials on the investigation conducted by the Nesquehoning police in regards to the fight.Dobias said that Nesquehoning police and the district attorney's office completed the investigation about two weeks ago and charges against current inmates Robert W. Monroe Jr., Scott Thomas Heffelfinger, Marquise Timothy Granger, Joshua Michael Strohl, and Maurice Jamal Hampton were filed on June 18. Charges include obstructing justice, failure to disperse, disorderly conduct and simple assault.According to the affidavit of probable cause, Nesquehoning police were notified by Carbon County Detective Timothy Nothstein that a large fight involving multiple inmates had taken place at the correctional facility. The fight caused numerous correctional officers and inmates to be injured.Nesquehoning Police Chief Sean Smith arrived at the prison and spoke with Deputy Warden Tim Fritz, who said that interviews of multiple inmates in the maximum security block were conducted following the fight. A number of inmates stated that the fight ensued because Monroe and Hampton were trying to extort commissary from weaker inmates.Through these interviews it was determined that Monroe was the ring leader of the pair and did all the stabbing with an unknown object.Fritz also identified Heffelfinger as a person involved in the fight who struck Hampton.He noted that several inmates had to be physically restrained throughout most of the altercation by correctional officers, who were injured while trying to separate the inmates.The affidavit continues that the investigation of the incident, where surveillance footage from the fight was reviewed, identified that Heffelfinger, Hampton, Granger, Monroe and Strohl were the aggressors, physically assaulting each other; as well as other inmates and correctional officers trying to break up the fight.Monroe has been charged with one count simple assault, one count obstructing administration of law or other governmental functions, one count failure of disorderly persons to disperse upon official order, one count disorderly conduct and one count disorderly conduct hazardous/physically offensive.Heffelfinger, Hampton and Strohl have each been charged with one count attempted simple assault, one count obstructing administration of law or other governmental functions, one count failure of disorderly persons to disperse upon official order, one count disorderly conduct and one count disorderly conduct hazardous/physically offensive.Granger has been charged with one count attempted simple assault, one count simple assault attempt by menace, one count obstructing administration of law or other governmental functions, one count failure of disorderly persons to disperse upon official order, one count disorderly conduct and one count disorderly conduct hazardous/physically offensive.Preliminary hearings for the five individuals have been set for July 25, at 1:30 p.m., before District Judge Casimir Kosciolek of Lansford.