HOLLY SPRINGS, Miss. — The Mississippi Department of Corrections is investigating after a guard at a north Mississippi prison was attacked, and there questions as to how the corrections officer was assaulted in the first place.
A spokesperson with Management and Training Corporation, the company that operates the Marshall County Correctional Facility in Holly Springs, said a guard was physically assaulted in a housing unit. The officer was taken to the hospital with eye and jaw injuries.
During the altercation Wednesday, a fire also broke out, but it was quickly extinguished.
According to MDC, the prison holds up to 1,000 medium-custody men.
Bernita Fountain is an alderwoman for the ward the prison is located in, and she happens to live down the road from the detention center.
“I’ve worked with them, collaborated with them on different events in our area, being in the neighborhood,” Fountain said. “I know that they do their best to keep maximum security and to make sure the residents feel safe.”
As for measures being taken to prevent attacks like this in the future, the facility’s spokesperson said that depends on the findings of the investigation.
For now, Fountain’s heart is with the injured guard.
“You know, it’s just a risk, you know, going in, putting your life on the line for security, and we want everybody to be safe, and I’m hoping and praying for him and his family,” Fountain said.
The guard is expected to be okay. The prison spokesperson said they are not releasing the identity of the inmate at this time, and they’re waiting on the investigation to determine a punishment.
The spokesperson also would not tell us the last time a guard was attacked at the detention center. We also reached out to the Mississippi Department of Corrections for a comment but have not heard back.