By Stuart Hirsch
The Herald Bulletin
PENDLETON — A correctional officer at the Pendleton Correctional Facility suffered head and facial injuries Friday when he was reportedly attacked by an inmate sentenced from Madison County.
The officer was conducting a security check when the assault occurred, according to Dushan Zatecky, superintendent of the facility. A medical crew was called to the facility at about 8:40 a.m. Friday.
Officials said that inmate Johnny Ellison , 23, of Middlesboro, Ky., attacked the guard. Ellison is serving a six-year sentence for arson in a 2013 Madison County case. He is also serving a sentence for burglary out of Tippecanoe County.
Authorities also did not release the name of the correctional officer but said he was treated at St.Vincent Anderson Regional Hospital for head and facial injuries not believed to be life-threatening.
The assault is under investigation by Pendleton’s internal affairs staff and the Indiana State Police.
“We take offender-on-staff assaults very seriously,” Zatecky said in the statement. “Once the investigation has concluded, we will refer the matter to the Madison County Prosecutor’s Office for potential prosecution.”