By Erin Edgemon
Alabama Media Group
ATMORE, Ala. — The inmate accused of stabbing a correctional officer at William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore on Thursday is charged with attempted murder, according to the Alabama Department of Corrections.
Cleveland Cunningham, 24, was transported to Kilby Correctional Facility in Montgomery County following the incident, ADOC records show.
ADOC spokesman Bob Horton said ADOC investigators are filing the attempted murder charge with the Escambia County District Attorney’s Office.
The warrant and complaint aren’t available for release yet.
The injured officer’s condition has improved from critical to serious, Horton said. His name isn’t being released.
The stabbing occurred at around 12:35 p.m. on Thursday in the prison’s dining hall during the noon meal, ADOC said.
The injured corrections officer was flown by helicopter to an unspecified hospital.
Cunningham assaulted and stabbed the officer in retaliation for being denied an extra tray of food, authorities said.
Cunningham is serving a 20-year sentence on a 2013 first-degree robbery conviction in Baldwin County.