MORGANTON, N.C. -- A correctional officer at the Foothills Correctional Institution in Morganton was assaulted by an inmate on Saturday night, according to the N.C. Department of Public Safety.
According to officials, the incident happened around 9:30 p.m. when the officer was assaulted by an inmate, later identified as Jose Rios, with a homemade weapon.
The officer suffered multiple wounds and was transported to an outside medical facility for treatment. The officer sustained minor injuries.
On Monday, NCDPS' prisons director Kenneth Lassiter released the following statement:
“Rios has a history of assaultive and threatening behavior as evidenced by the crime that landed him in prison and the rules infractions he has been charged with since his incarceration.
I appreciate the prompt response of the other prison staff who came to the officer’s aid and we are all hopeful the officer, who remains in stable condition, will be released from the hospital very soon. I am also grateful to the law enforcement that are investigating the assault and I want to see the inmate prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.