By Kathryn Marchocki
New Hampshire Union Leader
MANCHESTER, N.H. — A state prison inmate was armed with a homemade weapon when he scaled a chain-link fence Wednesday and dropped himself into the prison yard’s recreation area where he attacked another inmate before officers separated the two, a corrections department spokesman said yesterday.
Osvaldo DeJesus, 23, may face assault charges as a result of the alleged attack at New Hampshire State Prison for Men in Concord, spokesman Jeffrey J. Lyons said. He would not specify the type of weapon used.
Both DeJesus and his alleged victim, Barry Christopher Perez, 23, are from Hartford, Conn., and are serving sentences on New Hampshire drug convictions, Lyons said. The convictions are out of Grafton County Superior Court
Lyons said investigators don’t know what motivated the attack. But he said they are looking at whether it is related to an incident that preceded their incarceration.
Perez suffered wounds to his face and upper torso, Lyons said. He was treated at a local hospital, where he received multiple stitches and was returned to the prison. Both men are being held in maximum security units while the investigation continues.
DeJesus is serving a 2- to 5-year sentence for two counts of sale, possession and manufacturing of heroin in 2005, Lyons said. DeJesus entered the prison Feb. 22, 2008. He was classified as a close custody inmate, he said.
Perez is serving a 1- to 5-year sentence for possession of cocaine in 2006. He came to the prison on Feb. 23 and had not yet received a custody classification.
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