NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – A longtime prison reform advocate was preparing to stage a jail break when he hid loaded guns and ammunition in a new jail that was under construction,Tennessee authorities said Wednesday.
Alex Friedmann, a former prisoner turned crusader against private prisons and a longtime editor at Prison Legal News, was charged last month with attempted burglary. He was accused of gaining access to the new jail by dressing as a construction worker and stealing keys.
As the investigation continued, “it was discovered that Mr. Friedmann, over many months, had developed and implemented an extremely deliberate and, in my opinion, evil plan,” Nashville Sheriff Daron Hall said during a Wednesday news conference announcing Friedmann’s re-arrest on upgraded charges.
Friedmann is now charged with vandalism of $250,000 or more, with his bond set at $2.5 million.
Friedmann’s attorney, Ben Raybin, said he could not immediately comment on the new charges.