Inmates evacuated after Patterson jail floods

Authorities evacuated the Patterson jail Sunday night after the facility flooded with 3 inches of water when someone caused the sprinkler system to activate, Patterson Police Chief Patrick LaSalle said.
About 9:30 p.m. Sunday, a prisoner in the Patterson jail is believed to have tampered with the facility’s water system, which turned on the automatic sprinkler system, LaSalle said.
Police were able to safely evacuate prisoners from the jail and turn off the sprinkler system. Prisoners were returned to their cells within three hours, LaSalle said. There were no injuries reported.
Officials are reviewing surveillance video to see who may have caused the sprinkler to go off, and will pursue charges if the person responsible is identified, LaSalle said.