By John Ferak
The Omaha World-Herald
SIOUX CITY, Neb. — A Lincoln Correctional Center officer was home Sunday, recuperating after suffering a broken nose and a broken eye socket in an attack by two cellmates from South Sioux City, Neb.
About 480 inmates remained in modified lockdown Sunday, following the Saturday attack on the prison guard, according to the Nebraska Department of Corrections.
Corrections spokesman Steve King said Sunday that he did not know the injured guard’s name. King said the officer may miss several weeks of work while recovering.
“He is now home from the hospital,” King said. “That’s the real good news.”
The prison restored some inmate privileges Sunday afternoon. Inmates could use the telephone, take showers and meet with visitors.
However, inmates could not visit the hobby rooms, work areas or prison yard for outdoor recreation, King said.
The prison warden planned to reassess the situation today to determine whether to lift the partial lockdown, King said.
He said the guard was attacked after confronting two cellmates, Felix Navarette, 22, and Nicholas Juarez, 24, during a routine inspection of cells.
The guard was looking into suspicions about the production of alcohol, King said. He said it is not uncommon for inmates to gather products such as sugar, yeast, juice or water to try make alcohol in their cells.
“Inmates in prisons get pretty inventive,” King said. “They’ve turned toilets into stills, which I can hardly believe.”
Navarrete and Juarez are both serving six- to 10-year terms after being convicted in 2004 of second-degree sexual assault in Dakota County.
Navarrete had a projected release of November 2009. Juarez’s projected release was May 2009.
Both men were put into segregated confinement until the investigations wrap up and disciplinary measures are handed down, King said.
Copyright 2007 Omaha World-Herald