Inmate bit jail officer and cut her with ‘homemade weapon,’ Mecklenburg sheriff says
A Mecklenburg County Jail officer is at home recovering after being cut and bitten by an inmate last week, signaling another investigation at the detention center this year.
It’s the second reported attack on a jail officer with a “homemade weapon” this year.
Around 8:49 p.m. Friday, 42-year old James Holmes cut the jail officer with “a homemade weapon” and bit them as she made a medication pass, the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office said.
The officer received treatment at a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries and was released, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Sheriff Garry L. McFadden, in a statement Monday, said the officer “is in good spirits.”
“As Sheriff, the safety of our detention professionals and residents is always a concern,” he said.
The Sheriff’s Office is investigating to determine whether Holmes will face criminal charges, McFadden said.
Holmes was arrested late last month on weapons and assault charges, according to the Sheriff’s Office website.
On May 2, Sherrod Davidson, 30, stabbed a jail officer with a “homemade weapon,” the Observer previously reported. The officer made a full recovery.
Recent jail incidents
Friday’s incident is the latest at the jail this year that has prompted investigations:
▪ Last Tuesday, 55-year-old Emerson Healy was found unresponsive in his cell a day after being being arrested by CATS special police on misdemeanor weapons and proof of payment charges, the Observer previously reported. The Sheriff’s Office has not released a cause of death.
▪ The Sheriff’s Office fired Kyle Harris earlier this month after the 28-year-old jail officer was charged with multiple sex crimes in connection with the alleged sexual assault of a transgender inmate.
▪ John Devin Haley, 41, died of an apparent suicide on May 22, according to the Sheriff’s Office. He had been held at the jail on federal charges since April 3, officials said.
▪ Karon Golightly, a 20-year-old suspect in a string of Charlotte-area robberies, was found unresponsive on May 14. He died at a hospital.
