An inmate at the State Correctional Institution at Frackville faces assault allegations after police say he kicked a corrections officer in the knee three times during a medical evaluation last month.
According to State Police Frackville station, the incident occurred on Nov. 21 at approximately 8:40 a.m.
Investigators allege that inmate Michael Rodriguez, 29, refused to enter his cell because his bed sheets had been confiscated during a cell inspection. The affidavit states Rodriguez became non-compliant, was assisted to the ground by officers, and was subsequently transported to the prison’s Medical Unit in a restraining chair for evaluation.
A corrections officer was tasked with photographing Rodriguez for documentation purposes. Police said that while Thomas was unbuttoning Rodriguez’s shirt to photograph the inmate’s neck and chest area, Rodriguez kicked Thomas in the left knee three times.
Troopers reviewed surveillance footage of the incident on Dec. 1, which police say confirmed the sequence of events.
The officer was advised to seek medical treatment at an outside facility for his injuries, which reportedly include bruising and swelling to the knee and shin area.
Rodriguez is facing felony charges of assault by prison on an employee and aggravated assault on a designated individual as well as misdemeanor counts of simple assault and reckless endangerment, and a summary count of harassment.
In 2016, Rodriguez, then 19 years old, shot and killed a 16-year-old boy during an argument in Allentown. He was sentenced to a term of 23-47 years in state prison on charges of third-degree murder and an illegal guns charge.
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