Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office gives details of recent inmate assaults

To make a point, the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday provided details of recent assaults by jail inmates against officers, an official said.

It shows that inmates are held accountable for their actions against officers, said sheriff’s Lt. Lin Dehning, speaking at the office’s weekly briefing for news media.

Last week, Sheriff Jeff Easter gave some information about a misdemeanor theft case against a now-former jail corporal. Easter said then that officers are held accountable for their actions, Dehning noted.

During Wednesday’s briefing, Dehning provided summaries of seven assaults by inmates against officers over the past month. The incidents provide a fairly typical snapshot, he said.

For example, on Oct. 4 “an inmate became combative during a search and struck a deputy with an elbow to the face causing a laceration,” one of the summaries said. The inmate was charged with battery of a law enforcement officer.

On Oct. 11, another summary said, “during medication distribution in a pod, an inmate became argumentative and came at a deputy with balled up fists. While the deputy used force to control the inmate, the inmate pushed the deputy and continued to try to hit the deputy and grab the deputy’s neck.” That inmate also was charged with battery of an officer.

Although a number of inmates have mental health problems, none of the assaults are tied to mental health issues, said sheriff’s Capt. Jared Schechter.

This story was originally published October 29, 2014 at 12:30 PM with the headline "Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office gives details of recent inmate assaults."