Devin Kelly
Anchorage Daily News
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — An inmate at Anchorage jail stabbed a corrections officer in the neck with a pencil Friday morning, officials said.
The incident occurred about 7:15 a.m. in the jail’s segregation unit, said Sherrie Daigle, deputy director of the Alaska Department of Corrections. The inmate, 35-year-old Manuel Rodriguez, used a small golf pencil to stab an officer in the neck, Daigle said.
The officer received minor injuries and was transported to a local hospital, where he was treated and released, Daigle said.
Rodriguez was in the segregation unit for disciplinary issues, Daigle said. She said he has violent tendencies and a history of mental illness.
Alaska State Troopers are still investigating the circumstances of the incident, and have not released additional details. Daigle said that the jail provides the small pencils for the inmates.
Rodriguez was originally booked into the jail on June 10, 2012, on theft, assault and robbery charges.