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| Some Inmates Still Confined to Quarters in San Quentin |
| By CBS 5 News |
| Published: 01/30/2006 |
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Normal operations resumed for most inmates at California's San Quentin State Prison last week after an officer was slashed on early in the week. The prison was locked down after death row inmate Richard Penunuri slashed a corrections officer in the left forearm with a razor-like weapon in his cell around 10:45 a.m., officials said. Sgt. Eric Messick said Penunuri, 27, apparently flushed the weapon down a toilet after the incident. The corrections officer was slashed while he was removing Penunuri's handcuffs after a medical appointment. He was treated at a Marin County hospital and his name is not being released, Messick said. "It's a very vulnerable time,'' Messick said. Prison officials searched the prison for weapons between 2 p.m. and 10 p.m. Wednesday and recovered a needle-like projectile, Messick said. Penunuri, who was convicted of two murders in Los Angeles County, has been confined to his quarters as are the rest of the approximately 100 inmates in the adjustment center that houses the prison's most dangerous and violent inmates, Messick said. Inmates in the adjustment center will not have yard exercise and their movements will be confined to emergency or priority medical or dental appointments, Messick said. Visiting is also prohibited. A certain group of inmates in the adjustment center are prohibited from exercising as a group, Messick said. "They should thank their lucky stars they are in an American prison,'' Messick said. There will be an administrative investigation, a rule violation report will be issued and a hearing will be held regarding the attack, Messick explained. Penunuri could be assessed an additional 10-day confinement to quarters and loss of store privileges if it's determined he slashed the officer. "Since he was the sole person in the cell, there seems to be no question who did it,'' Messick said. Penunuri has the lowest level of privileges already, Messick said. Penunuri was a member of a Los Angeles County street gang whose "hobby was murder,'' Messick said. He was convicted of murders in 1997 and 1998 and sentenced to death. He has been at San Quentin since Feb. 7, 2001, Messick said. Messick said it's not certain why the officer was attacked. There was an incident involving five or six Hispanic inmates out of the Los Angeles area in the prison's east block over the weekend. Penunuri was not involved, however, Messick said. The east block is a high-control unit and no officers or inmates were hurt. |
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