STORMVILLE – An inmate at Green Haven Correctional Facility attacked one officer and five more officers sustained injuries when they tried to subdue the convicted felon during the March 16 attack.
One officer was transported to Vassar Brothers Medical Center for injuries sustained after an inmate ran out of his open cell and attacked the officer in the cell block.
The attack happened when two officers were escorting inmates back from the mess hall and opened the cells on the cell block to allow the inmates back into their cells. When the cell doors were opened, one inmate ran out of his cell yelling. The officers ordered the inmate back into his cell but he ignored the orders and ran down a flight of stairs to the first floor. When an officer attempted to stop the inmate, he was punched in the face by the convict.
The inmate was immediately grabbed in a body hold by a third staff member and forced to the floor where he continued to be combative. Additional staff arrived and assisted in getting the inmate’s legs and arms under control and he was handcuffed. The 41-year-old inmate was brought to his feet and was being escorted from the cell block when he broke free and charged through the cell block door until he was restrained for a second time.
The inmate was subsequently placed in a Special Housing Unit (SHU) pending disciplinary charges. He is serving a four to five-year sentence after being convicted in Niagara County for burglary and criminal possession of a controlled substance in 2021.
All injured officers were treated by facility medical staff. The officer who was punched in the face sustained a swollen eye, blurry vision, swollen jaw, and shoulder. He was transported to the hospital for further treatment and did not return to duty.
Five officers who assisted in subduing the inmate sustained assorted injuries that included knee swelling and pain, wrist, shoulder, elbow, and hand abrasions and swelling. They remained on duty after treatment.
Chris Moreau, Mid-Hudson Region Vice-president of the New York State Corrections Officers PBA (NTSCOPBA) expressed frustration in violence against officers saying “Last year, Green Haven led all state prisons in inmate assaults on staff, leading the way to the most violent year in attacks in our facilities. While we have been extremely vocal about the lack of discipline that remains, our elected officials must be held accountable when they fail to prosecute inmates who violently attack staff.”
The union also claims that the Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office is not prosecuting the offending inmates. Without it, the violence will only continue. ” The State Legislature has dismantled the disciplinary system to the point that the only remaining deterrent is to prosecute cases where sentences can be extended. Unfortunately up to this point, the district attorney’s office has failed to do that in Dutchess County.”
