Food riot lands nine El Paso County jail inmates in the soup

Upset over meal portions at the El Paso County jail, nine inmates stood off deputies for five hours last month, refusing to leave their cells and daring guards to try to make them.

One poured soap and water on the floor in a bid to trip up jailers. Others egged on fellow inmates to join in the mayhem and assaulted or tried to assault riot-gear clad deputies sent in to remove them by force.

All nine face felony charges of trying to incite a riot, participating in behavior that put staff in "grave danger," authorities say.

The previously unannounced Nov. 21 disturbance - described by sheriff's officials as an attempted riot - came five months after El Paso County switched vendors it uses to prepare food for an average daily population of roughly 1,500 inmates.

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