The Correctional Officer assaulted by an inmate Saturday has been released from the hospital and is recovering at home.
William Dean, spokesperson for the Dept. of Adult Correction, said Alfonso “Sweet” Lewis, 35, was charged with attempted murder of Corrections Officer A. Lynch. Dean said in a press release that Lewis was transferred from Columbus Correctional to Granville Correctional, the most secure facility in the state.
Lewis was convicted of first degree murder in Gastonia in 2010. The murder involved a dispute over drugs, according to court records. He has an extensive list of violations, including fighting, being an “active rioter,” possession of a weapon by a prisoner, gambling, selling medications, and assaulting an officer with a weapon.
Lynch was reportedly working alone in a dorm of more than 90 inmates alone when he observed Lewis smoking, multiple sources said. Lewis refused to comply with Lynch’s orders, and attacked the officer. Several inmates reportedly protected Lynch from being more seriously injured, and escorted him back to the control area.
Lynch was transported to Columbus Regional by ambulance.
Dean nor the sheriff’s office could confirm the details of the assault.
While Lewis is serving a life sentence for murder and attempted murder, Dean said it is common for maximum security inmates to be transferred to medium or even minimal security prisons.
“Offenders have their custody levels re-evaluated annually,” he said in an email, “based on their behavior, compliance with prison rules, and attendance/performance in jobs and rehabilitative programming.
“It is not unusual for offenders convicted of violent crimes to earn medium custody and in some cases minimum custody.”
Dean could not confirm that Lynch was working alone, although similar circumstances are not unusual in the state prison system. Dean did not say what weapons the CO was carrying during the assault.
In March, Columbus Correctional Institution had 20 vacant correctional officer (CO) positions, and Tabor Correctional in the same month had 55 CO vacancies. CCI is allotted 241 staff in all positions with 698 inmates on average.
Tabor City has more than 500 positions, including staff and support personnel, to care for 1,752 inmates.
Statewide, the Dept. of Adult Corrections has around 5,000 employees, with 9,700 needed to fill all vacancies. The state has contracted with private security firms to provide additional personnel manning gates and outer fence jobs to free up guards for inside prison facilities, but DAC is still suffering from a lack of interested applicants as well as high turnover.
The incident at Columbus Correctional is under investigation by the sheriff’s office.
