Charges detail inmates' brutal attack on Oak Park Heights corrections officers
Inside the maximum security wing of Oak Park Heights prison. (FOX 9)
OAK PARK HEIGHTS, Minn. (FOX 9) - Two inmates at the Oak Park Heights prison are accused of attacking a sergeant and two corrections officers, one of whom required multiple surgeries for injuries sustained during the assault.
According to the criminal complaint, on the evening of March 7, 26-year-old Jeremy Carpenter and 28-year-old Curtez Graham were approached by a correctional sergeant, who informed Carpenter he needed to return to his unit.
Carpenter became upset and spit at the sergeant’s face before attacking them. He kicked the sergeant, sending them into an ice machine, then punched the sergeant in the head, charges allege.
Graham allegedly joined in, also punching the sergeant in the head, who then fell on the ground.
Other officers arrived to assist, and Graham punched a second correctional officer, who fell on the ground unconscious. A third officer came toward the inmates and Carpenter allegedly punched the officer in the head, and Graham followed suit, according to the complaint.
Other correctional officers deployed a chemical irritant and were able to restrain the two men.
Court records indicate the correctional sergeant suffered "multiple nasal bone fractures" and has had multiple surgeries as a result of the attack. Furthermore, the sergeant still has "post-concussion symptoms consistent with a traumatic brain injury."
The unconscious officer also suffered multiple nasal bone fractures. According to the complaint, the third officer injured had redness in the areas where struck.
Washington County prosecutors charged Graham on Dec. 20 with third-degree assault, aiding and abetting third-degree assault, and aiding and abetting fourth-degree assault against a correctional employee.
At the time of the attack, court records indicate Graham was serving a sentence for first-degree criminal sexual conduct and kidnapping.
Carpenter was charged on Dec. 21 with aiding and abetting third-degree assault, aiding and abetting fourth-degree assault against a correctional employee, and fourth-degree assault against a correctional employee.
He was previously convicted of assaulting a correctional officer at the Stillwater prison in 2015, court records said, and he was serving a sentence for second-degree murder at the time of the attack in March.
This isn’t the first time a corrections officer at Oak Park Heights prison has been injured by an inmate. An officer was attacked in January, resulting in the officer needing several surgeries and permanently losing vision in one eye.
According to the Minnesota Department of Corrections website, Carpenter and Graham remain in custody at the Oak Park Heights correctional facility.