By Jordan Nelson
The Register-Herald, Beckley, W.Va.
RALEIGH COUNTY, W.Va. — A corrections officer who was stabbed over two dozen times by an inmate at Southern Regional Jail two weeks ago has returned to his duties at the facility, Lawrence Messina, Director of Communications at the State Department Military Affairs and Public Safety reported.
Inmate Johnathan Jackson, 25, reportedly stabbed Austin Cunningham, a corrections officer at the facility, nearly 30 times.
According to a criminal complaint, Jackson walked near Cunningham’s location and threw a bottle of human feces at a tower area causing the bottle to explode onto the glass.
He then immediately ran towards Cunningham, the reported stated, and began to stab him repeatedly with a homemade plastic shank.
Jackson was then subdued and retained by jail staff.
The criminal complaint stated Cunningham’s injuries did not appear to be life threatening.
Jackson was charged with malicious wounding and transferred to Central Regional Jail. He currently has a bond set at $100,000 for the charge.
Messina told The Register-Herald that Cabinet Secretary Jeff Sandy and David Farmer, Executive Director of Regional Jail and Correctional Facility Authority, remained in contact with Cunningham during his recovery process.
He said Farmer also traveled to SRJ to inspect conditions of the facility and said conditions have returned to normal.
“I am happy to report that the officer has returned to duty,” Messina said. “He pretty much resumed his scheduled shifts within days of the attack.”
©2018 The Register-Herald (Beckley, W.Va.)