Two inmates on the Middleton Jail and House of Correction have been indicted final week on expenses associated to an Oct. 22 brawl that injured two inmates and two correctional officers, the Essex Sheriff’s Department stated.
The inmates, Jorge Delgado-Medina, 26, of Melrose and Adrian Corniel De La Cruz, 18, of Lawrence, have been charged by an Essex County Superior Court grand jury with assault and battery and assault and battery with a harmful weapon. Corniel De La Cruz was additionally charged with two counts of armed assault with intent to homicide.
“We will not tolerate attacks on our officers,” stated Essex Sheriff Kevin Coppinger. “We will prosecute and we will seek justice.”
Coppinger added that “officer safety is the top priority.”
The Oct. 22 struggle concerned three handmade weapons and resulted in a facility-wide lockdown and two inmates and two guards being despatched to the hospital with minor accidents. Facility employees stated eight extra weapons have been found throughout a week-long search following the struggle.
Coppinger cited “an increase in inmate aggression at Essex County correctional facilities as the numbers of those waiting to be tried on violent and gang-related crime continues to increase.”
About 40% of the inmates have been detained on violent expenses as of the beginning of 2023, the power launch stated, and the county has a every day common of greater than 1,100 inmates, the biggest quantity within the state outdoors of Boston.
Four different inmates have been beforehand charged in relation to the incident.
The assault and battery with a harmful weapon expenses may imply as much as 10 years in jail. The cost of assault and battery with intent to homicide may imply as much as 20 years.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”