By Corrections1 Staff
WASHINGTON — A Maryland corrections officer is recovering after authorities said he was violently attacked by an inmate.
On Sunday, 26-year-old Edgar Alfonso Borrera assaulted the CO in front of the cells at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility, WTOP reports. Authorities said the officer was repeatedly punched and struck in the face and upper body by the inmate.
“[It was] a very, very violent assault against our staff member,” said Department of Corrections Director Robert Green.
Borrera also used a handmade weapon made of hard plastic and a milk carton handle during the attack. Police said another inmate and other COs intervened to stop the attack.
The officer, a 17-year veteran of the facility, was treated at a hospital for multiple injuries. The CO suffered fractured bones in his face and lacerations to his forehead. Green said he has non-life threatening injuries and is improving as of Monday.
“He’s an incredibly talented correctional officer, very good at what he does,” Green said. “We are keeping him in our thoughts and prayers and making sure we are there for him and his family as he endures what is going to be a long recovery.”
Green said the attack highlights the dangerous work corrections officers do every day.
“It’s dangerous work; it’s work that puts them in danger,” Green said. “We try to keep them safe and keep everyone under our custody safe, these things happen,” he said.
Borrera has been charged with attempted first-degree murder, first-degree assault and second-degree assault of a CO.