JOHNSON CO., Ill.—Another alleged inmate attack on a prison guard has occurred at Shawnee Correctional Center in Vienna, Illinois.
This incident, according to press information from Tom Shaer, DOC communications officer, happened Thursday, July 17, and involved an altercation over a makeshift clothesline that an inmate had strung up in his cell.
The clothesline had been discarded, to the objection of the inmate, who remains unnamed at this time. The inmate was told that his “objection” would be heard only through the written grievance process (something which generally takes months to accomplish and usually ends in DOC effectively telling the inmate to get a helmet) and when the inmate attempted to retrieve his clothesline from a trash bin where it had been tossed, the altercation ensued.
During this physical altercation, it was reported that the inmate “put both hands on a correctional officer’s shoulders” forcefully, as he was “moving when he made contact with the officer,” and this resulted in both of them hitting the floor hard. The CO, who also remains unnamed at this time, actually suffered a mild concussion in the fall as well as an abrasion to his scalp. This resulted in a trip to a nearby hospital for examination and treatment before being released.
Johnson County authorities have stated they are investigating and will forward results to the state’s attorney for prosecution if it warrants.
This is the second such altercation in three weeks at Shawnee CC wherein a guard was injured by an inmate. Willie Carter remains uncharged in that incident; it remains to be seen if this incident Thursday will get to the charges stage.