Guard injured in SCI-Greene attack was stabbed nearly a dozen times
WAYNESBURG – The corrections officer assaulted Thursday morning by a prisoner inside SCI-Greene is “fortunate” his injuries were not more severe after he was stabbed with a shank nearly a dozen times in the head and torso, state police said Friday.
Trooper Daniel Barnhart said the inmate, who is serving a life sentence for murder, ambushed the guard in the pod area of a general population block and used a “shank-type weapon” during the attack that lasted for nearly a minute.
Most of the 10 cuts and lacerations were superficial wounds, Barnhart said, but one cut to the back of the head required stitches. The guard, who has not been identified, was taken to WHS-Greene hospital where he was treated and released Thursday.
“It could have definitely been a lot worse,” Barnhart said.
Barnhart said the guard was able to “partially subdue” the prisoner before other correction officers were able to come to his aid and restrain the attacker. The prisoner did not make a statement to investigators, and his motive for the attack was not immediately clear, Barnhart said.
SCI-Greene Administrations Officer Debbie Brumage said the attack occurred in the prison’s B-Block, which is a general population area of the facility. She confirmed the prisoner is serving a life sentence for a murder conviction, but did not release his identity or details surrounding his case.
The jail remained under lockdown Friday as prison staff searched for contraband and continued to investigate the incident. She said there was no timeline for when the lockdown order would be lifted, though some visitors were allowed into the facility on a case-by-case basis.
“Normal procedures are being followed,” Brumage said. “That’s what they do in these cases.”
The incident remains under investigation and Barnhart said police did not know when charges would be filed.