Powell a bully in jail

MANASSAS, Paul Warner Powell, the man charged with murdering a Yorkshire teen and attempting to kill her younger sister, sharpened a toothbrush in jail in order to stab a black or Hispanic guard and also was able to unlock his cell door, according to documents filed in Prince William Circuit Court.
Powell, 21, has been a nightmare for jail officials, according to the records, repeatedly refusing orders and talking about killing jail guards.
"Staff should be aware that Powell is dangerous and the highest degree of security must be maintained in dealing with this inmate, " wrote Major C. Land at the Prince William-Manassas regional jail in an Aug. 3 incident report.
Powell is scheduled to stand trial in Prince William Circuit Court on Jan. 24. He faces the death penalty if convicted on charges he murdered 16-year-old Stacie Reed, then sexually assaulted and stabbed her sister, Kristie Reed, who was 14 and survived the attack.
Prince William police have said that Powell, who is white, argued with Stacie Reed on Jan. 29, the day she was killed, because Stacie, also white, had begun dating a black youth.
Powell's attorneys subpoenaed the documents they filed in court from the jail, said Col. Glendell Hill, jail superintendent. Hill said the jail "made corrective action" with regard to Powell but declined to comment further.
The records are "potential evidence" in Powell's trial, where prosecutors will try to prove he represents a future danger to society, said Prince William Commonwealth's Attorney Paul Ebert.
The report that Powell wanted to target a black or Hispanic jail guard "may be germane on the issue of motive [on the murder charge] but that remains to be seen, " Ebert said.
According to a July 12 jail incident report, Capt. P.A. Meletis wrote that Powell had "sharpened his toothbrush and plastic piece off a chair in order to stab a black or hispanic officer. Also inmate Powell had mentioned killing himself several times to one of his cellmates."
Another jail officer reported Aug. 3: "I was advised, by several different sources that inmate Powell had been coming out of his cell during the night by jamming the door with toilet paper and using a card to open it. He was planning on surprising an officer in the morning by jumping him from the day room."
According to the report, Powell "stated it would be easy for him to escape from here because the staff is stupid. Powell constantly talks about killing officers . . . Powell says he has nothing to lose because they couldn't kill him twice."
Powell was relocated inside the jail Aug. 3 for security reasons. Meletis authorized jail shift commanders to search Powell's cell daily.
According to another report dated Aug. 3
a jail lieutenant received information that Powell "was capable of unlocking his cell door."
Maj. C. Land reported: "I examined the locks on 301 along with Maintenance (A. Spade) and we determined that Powell was capable of opening the cell door. Two reliable sources also verified this."
Powell continuously makes threats to jail staff.
"His exact comment was, 'If guards don't stop f------ with him he will slash one of them open, '" according to one report.
Powell wrote on the legs of his jumpsuit, according to a May 4 report. The slogans read, "F--- the world, " "NATAS" and "slayer." Jail officials reported that NATAS was a backward spelling of Satan.
In a June 9 report, jail officials said Powell, a former Osbourn Park High School student, made 12 scratches on his arm from his shoulder to his wrist. There was no obvious bleeding but there was dried blood. Powell appeared "mentally unstable" according to a February report.
Powell's attorneys have filed a motion for a change of venue that will be opposed by Ebert when it is heard Tuesday by Prince William Circuit Court Judge Herman A. Whisenant Jr.
The defense attorneys, Ronald W. Fahy and Daniel J. Morrisette, argue that the trial should take place outside Prince William because of news media reports that are "certain to prevent a fair and impartial trial.
"Many of these articles recite inflammatory, hostile, prejudicial, and even false accounts of the defendant and the crimes with which he is charged, " Fahy and Morrisette wrote. "Sone [sic] articles report that the defendant confessed. Publication of a confession is a strong ground for change of venue."
Ebert disagree: "We feel that he can get a fair trial within the county of Prince William. This case is no different from many others from a publicity standpoint, " Ebert said.
The attorneys also filed a motion to suppress five statements Powell made to Prince William police after he was arrested.
Powell lived in both the Manassas and Fredericksburg areas before his incarceration.