The superintendent of Southern State Correctional Facility is under investigation for misconduct and has been placed on paid administrative leave, the Vermont Department of Corrections announced in a press release late on Thursday.

The department received a complaint from within the prison about Mike Lyon, head of the Springfield prison, according to Haley Sommer, a department spokesperson. Sommer declined to provide additional details.

“We can’t speak to the nature of the misconduct just because there is an investigation going on,” Sommer said in an interview Thursday afternoon. “And so we don’t want to interfere with the investigation by commenting on personnel matters.”

In the release, department officials said that the investigation is not related to deaths of people incarcerated at the facility. Two such deaths were reported at the prison in March, and a total of 10 have been reported since January 2022.

The state Department of Human Resources will investigate the complaint against Lyon, according to the corrections department. Monique Sullivan, the Springfield prison’s living unit supervisor, will serve as acting superintendent “until further notice.”

“The Vermont Department of Corrections is committed to fully and thoroughly investigating all allegations of misconduct in our facilities, our field offices, and our central office,” Corrections Commissioner Nicholas Deml said in the release.

Last week, Vermont State Police said it was investigating two assaults of corrections officers at the Springfield prison.

The Department of Corrections dismissed leadership at the Springfield prison in both 2017 and 2018.

Lyon could not be reached for comment Thursday evening.

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