Five Maryland inmates charged after officers assaulted at prison near Hagerstown
Five Maryland state inmates have been charged after a fight broke out in the yard at Roxbury Correctional Institution south of Hagerstown in which one correctional officer was being choked, according to documents filed in Washington County District Court. Other officers were punched and/or kicked.
The July 17 incident led to four officers "requiring nonemergency medical evaluation," court documents state. Charging documents describe fights in which at least five prison officers were assaulted.
Mark Vernarelli, a spokesman for the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services wrote in an email Thursday that he believes only three officers went to Meritus Medical Center as a precaution. It's possible a fourth officer went to a medical provider on their own, he wrote.
Six inmates were taken into custody and transferred to North Branch Correctional Institution or Western Correctional Institution, court records state. Both state prisons are southwest of Cumberland, Md., and have maximum security, whereas RCI and the other two state prisons south of Hagerstown have medium security, according to the state's public safety and correctional services website.
"The incident occurred as the men were participating in outside recreation and was quickly managed by correctional officers and specialized DPSCS units," Vernarelli wrote in a text on Wednesday.
“Our detectives continue to quickly pursue criminal charges against anyone who commits an assault within our facilities,” DPSCS Secretary Robert Green said in a statement through Vernarelli. “There are serious consequences beyond administrative charges for anyone who commits violent acts that threaten the safety of our employees and the incarcerated.”
At least one other inmate who committed a rule violation will face administrative charges, Vernarelli wrote.
The investigation continues, he wrote.
The fights that led to the charges
Devahn McFadden, 29, was the only one of the five inmates charged with a felony, one count of first-degree assault of a Division of Correction employee, according to court records. He also faces the misdemeanor charge of second-degree assault on a corrections employee. The first-degree charge is punishable by up to 25 years in prison, while the second-degree charge can result in up to 10 years in prison and/or a $2,500 fine.
The charges against McFadden in regards to the July 17 incident are filed under a misspelling of his name, McFacdden. Vernarelli confirmed the inmate's name is spelled McFadden.
A correctional officer, trying to follow orders and handcuff McFadden, grabbed the inmate from behind and McFadden turned and started to pull away, charging documents state. The two fell to the ground and McFadden allegedly wrapped his arm around the officer's neck and tried to choke him. The officer told an investigator he started to hit McFadden because he was losing his breath, records state. Another officer responded and they cuffed McFadden.
Inmate Christopher Firor, 39, faces two charges of second-degree assault on a corrections employee, court records state.
Inmates Franklin Evans, 31; Dominetreous Anthony, 35; and Avon Taylor, 36, were each charged with one count of second-degree assault on a corrections employee, according to charging documents.
According to court records, an inmate was not compliant with orders at the gate and when officers tried to handcuff him, he struggled with the officers and they ended up taking him to the ground. That inmate is not charged in court in regards to this incident.
At the same time, Evans, McFadden, Anthony and Taylor "engage with staff in an aggressive" manner, court records state.
Evans, refusing orders from a lieutenant, hit the lieutenant several times in the head and face, "igniting the situation," court records state. The lieutenant fell to the ground, where Evans continued striking him in the face. Evans allegedly assaulted the lieutenant multiple times before staff could get control of Evans, records state.
McFadden was still fighting with the correctional officer — the one he tried to choke — when another officer arrived and helped handcuff McFadden, court records state.
Taylor allegedly hit a fourth officer from behind, court records state. The officer ended up on the ground, where Taylor kicked him several times, records state. The officer's injuries included bruising around his ribs. Anthony is charged with assaulting the same correctional officer.
While officers were cuffing Taylor, Firor allegedly assaulted them by jumping on a lieutenant, knocking the lieutenant and a sergeant down. He was charged with second-degree assault of a divisions officer for assaulting both those officers.
The charging documents describe other aggression, including at least one other officer being punched in the face.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Five RCI inmates charged with assaulting officers last Sunday
