Union wants Mich. prison microwaves gone after attack
Ann Arbor News
Inmates’ microwave access seen as danger
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — A corrections officer at a state prison in Pittsfield Township suffered burns to his face and possible eye damage when an inmate serving a sentence for murder heated up Vasoline in a microwave oven and threw it at him, authorities said.
The attack, which occurred Friday at the Huron Valley men’s prison, has spurred the corrections officers union to call for removal of microwave ovens from prisons.
Michigan Department of Corrections spokesman Russ Marlan said officials believe prisoner John Deverney heated a combination of Vaseline petroleum jelly and water in a cup, using a microwave oven in a day room, then went to an officers’ station and threw the liquid on two corrections officers.
One of the officers, who was hit on the arm by the liquid, did not suffer severe injuries. But the other, a 49-year-old officer who was hit in the face and chest, suffered second-degree burns and possible injury to the retina of one of his eyes, Marlan said.
The officer was taken to the University of Michigan Medical Center for treatment. He was released Sunday and continues to recover at home, Marlan said. The Department of Corrections has not released the name of the officer.
Deverney, 48, who is serving a 39- to 90-year sentence for second-degree murder in Washtenaw County in 1988, has been transferred to the Gus Harrison Correctional Facility in Adrian, Marlan said.
Most prisoners housed at the Huron Valley facility for men have mental health issues, Marlan said.
State police at the Ypsilanti Post are investigating the incident for possible criminal charges against Deverney, Marlan said. The investigation is not yet complete, state police said.
Deverney also faces possible internal disciplinary action, Marlan said.
The Michigan Corrections Organization, which is the correction officers union, has asked the Department of Corrections to remove microwaves from the prisons, Marlan said. The prison warden is expected to meet with union officials to consider the matter, Marlan said.
Prisoners typically use the microwaves to heat coffee and tea, and the majority of prisoners use the microwaves appropriately, he said.
Copyright 2008 Ann Arbor Time