Corrections1 Staff
FORT MADISON, Iowa — A female correctional officer at the Iowa State Penitentiary is recovering from injuries after being attacked by an inmate Thursday evening, The Hawk Eye newspaper is reporting.
Officials say the incident occurred last Thursday as officers were moving inmates from the dining area back to the living quarters at the prison in Fort Madison, one of only two times each day that inmates are moved in groups, according to the Chicago Tribune.
At 6:59 p.m., Dennis Manchester, 30, an inmate of the prison’s clinical care unit, turned and attacked the female officer. Fortunately, one other officer and two inmates present at the scene moved in to assist, pulling Manchester from the officer.
The officer received abrasions to her face, was transported to Fort Madison Community Hospital and was later released.
Manchester began serving a 10-year prison term Feb. 19, 2004, after being convicted of second-degree robbery in Pottawattamie County.
An investigation into the incident is ongoing, and charges are pending, authorities say.