1 March 2024
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A detention deputy at the Sedgwick County Detention Facility was taken to the hospital after he was hit in the face by an inmate.
A news release from the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office says that at approximately 8 a.m. on March 1, the deputy was attempting to collect the inmate’s breakfast tray to be sent to the kitchen to be washed.
The SCSO said while the deputy was collecting the tray, the inmate walked out of the cell and into the dayroom, where he was not authorized to be at the time.
The deputy told him to return to the cell when the inmate became upset and hit the deputy in the side of his face with a closed fist. This caused a physical altercation, and at one point, the inmate tried to drag the deputy inside of a cell. The deputy freed himself, and a response team arrived to assist.
Medical professionals on-site determined the deputy had a “significant” wound to the face, so he was taken to a local hospital.
The inmate has been in the custody of the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office since Aug. 5, 2023, for charges that include aggravated robbery and probation violations.
The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office said its Investigations Unit is investigating the incident and will present its findings to the District Attorney’s Office for criminal charges.