Deputies injured in Athens jail when attacked by prisoner with homemade weapon

By Joe Johnson

Two sheriff’s deputies were recently injured when they were attacked by a prisoner at the Athens-Clarke County jail.

According to the Office of Sheriff John Q. Williams, the incident happened the evening of April 21, when a supervisor went to assist a detention officer with an incident that had just occurred in Unit 11. Upon entering the unit, she was immediately attacked by a prisoner who wielded a homemade weapon consisting of several bars of soap that were molded together and placed in a sock.

The prisoner swung the weapon and repeatedly struck the sergeant repeatedly in the head with it and also tried to remove her Taser from its holster, the sheriff's office said. A detention officer responded to assist, but he also was attacked by the prisoner, who knocked a Taser from his hand.

When the supervisor was able to use her Taser, it proved to be ineffective on the prisoner, who was eventually subdued by other deputies who responded to Unit 11.

The supervisor and deputy were both treated at the hospital and released, but they have yet to return to work.