By Luis Fieldman
masslive.com
SHIRLEY, Mass. — The corrections officer who survived an alleged brutal attack by an MCI-Shirley prison inmate took an “unbelievable step” forward in his recovery, according to a union statement last week.
Matthew Tidman, 36, was reportedly attacked by an inmate of the MCI-Shirley medium-security prison with a metal weight to the head on Aug. 31, which put Tidman in intensive care at a Boston hospital. The attack left Tidman with severe neck and head injuries and he was placed on life support, a union representing correction officers said.
“Matt has been up walking, eating and determined to get out of the hospital,” wrote Kevin Flanagan, a union representative, in a statement. “We are happy to report that Matt was transferred to a rehabilitation facility to continue his work on getting stronger.”
Flanagan is a legislative representative for Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union. He added that Tidman will require many surgeries in the future.
“It is no doubt that the strength of his brothers and sisters are a driving force in his recovery to get better,” Flanagan wrote.
At the end of September, Roy Booth was indicted by a Middlesex Grand Jury in connection with the violent incident that put Tidman on life support. Booth is currently serving a life sentence for a murder in Virginia, prosecutors said.
He had been transferred in March 2021 to Massachusetts due to an Interstate Corrections Compact, which means inmates are transferred between states under certain circumstances, according to the Middlesex District Attorney’s office.
Booth, 40, is charged with armed assault with intent to murder, assault and battery causing serious bodily injury and mayhem in connection with the reported attack on Tidman, who has served over 10 years as a corrections officer at the Shirley prison.
His arraignment is scheduled for Thursday, October 20, at Woburn Superior Court.
The Middlesex District Attorney’s office obtained video footage of the incident and conducted interviews at the facility. The investigation revealed that Booth had allegedly unscrewed the object used to strike Tidman, which had been part of a weight-lifting machine, and concealed it as he approached Tidman and attacked.
A GoFundMe fundraiser for Matthew Tidman has collected over $117,000 in donations as of Monday.