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Stillwater Prison On Partial Lockdown Following Attack On Corrections Officer

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Officials say part of the Stillwater prison remains on lockdown Wednesday after an inmate assaulted a corrections officer.

A spokesperson for the east metro prison says an inmate assaulted a sergeant in the B-East living unit late Wednesday morning. Corrections officers quickly responded to the assault and regained control of the situation.

The attacked officer was evaluated by medical personnel, the spokesperson said. The officer was not identified.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the incident remains under investigation, with the B-East unit still on lockdown.

The Stillwater facility holds nearly 16,000 offenders.

On Tuesday night, WCCO's Jennifer Mayerle reported on the state's increased push for officer safety.

"There's no doubt there's challenges. We need to deal with the safety and security of the people who come to work here every day," said Commissioner Paul Schnell, who recently took the reins of state's correction system.

The push for officer safety came in the wake of the July murder of officer Joe Gomm, who was attacked by an inmate with a hammer in the Stillwater prison's industrial building.

Two months after Gomm's death, officer Joe Parise died of a medical emergency while responding to an attack on an officer at the same prison.

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