An irate parole violator took a hostage at the Butler County Prison last week.

Fortunately, the situation was staged Jan. 12 as a training exercise.

Warden Rick Shaffer told the county prison board Tuesday that his staff did well during the impromptu drill.

“Everything went smoothly,” Shaffer said.

Along with the State Correctional Institution of Albion, Erie County corrections staff conducted the drill.

State corrections staff portrayed the hostage, who was supposedly a new intern at the Butler prison, and the inmate.

The drill began that morning when a man approached Butler County deputies claiming he wanted to turn himself in for a parole violation.

The man was escorted to the jail and placed in a room. After the “intern” was sent into that room, the counselor, who was in on the ruse, made an excuse about needing paperwork and departed.

The “inmate” then acted upset, blocking the door with a desk. He then claimed he had a knife.

Shaffer said the room was sealed, so no overzealous staff could injure the fake inmate.

Sheriff Mike Slupe, who was told beforehand the incident was going to be staged, praised Shaffer’s handling of a delicate situation.

“Rick put a lot of controls in place,” Slupe said.

He said in an interview that his deputies, who also were tested, responded as they should to an apparent emergency situation.

“We had to divert prisoners to our holding cells,” Slupe said.

The government center has two holding cells at the basement level.

The details of how prison staff responded to the hostage scenario are confidential for security reasons.

Shaffer said during the meeting that the exercise was worth the effort.

“It really was a valuable training,” he said.