By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
HOULTON — An inmate at the Aroostook County Jail added two felonies to his list of offenses late Monday afternoon after he reportedly assaulted a corrections officer.
Anthony Griffin, 20, whose last known residence was Caribou, was charged with two counts of assault on a corrections officer, which is a Class C felony.
Chief Deputy Darrell Crandall of the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Department stated in an Oct. 1 press release that late Monday afternoon a corrections officer at the Aroostook County Jail noticed a cell window was blocked with a piece of paper.
Doing so is prohibited inside the jail, said Crandall said, as it prevents officers from looking inside an inmate’s cell.
“When the officer entered the cell to investigate, he caught inmate Anthony Griffin with a towel wrapped around his neck, apparently trying to choke himself,” Crandall said. “As the officer tried to intervene, Griffin jumped the officer, punching and kicking him in the face.”
A second officer came to his aid and was also punched, choked and scratched by Griffin, he added.
“The officers quickly gained control, restrained Griffin and removed him to the segregation area of the jail,” Crandall stated. “The officers sustained minor injuries, but the inmate was not injured.
On Tuesday, a Sheriff’s Detective completed a criminal investigation and charged Griffin with two counts of assault on a corrections officer, a Class C felony offense.
Griffin had been an inmate in the County Jail since February, but had been released Sept. 24. Six days later, on Sept. 30, he was arrested by Caribou Police and charged with burglary, theft and violation of conditions of release.
He had only been back in the facility for about four hours when this incident occurred, Crandall said. If convicted, Griffin faces up to five years in prison for these assaults.
“The safety of our staff and inmates is our first priority,” Crandall added. “Incidents like this are not tolerated and are promptly forwarded to the District Attorney’s office for prosecution. We also applaud our staff for showing great restraint during this encounter.”
Griffin remains at the Aroostook County Jail.
