An inmate at the South Central Correctional Center in Licking, Missouri, took a clerical staff member hostage around 8 a.m. Monday, according to a news release from the Missouri Department of Corrections.

The release said the inmate entered a staff office inside a housing unit to take the employee as a hostage. Emergency protocols were then initiated by the Missouri Department of Corrections, Missouri State Highway Patrol and local law enforcement to find a resolution, according to the news release.

The inmate released the staff member without incident or injury around 1 p.m., according to the release.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol SWAT team and the Corrections Emergency Response Team entered the building where the hostage was held around 1:15 p.m., according to the release.

The in

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