Officer assaulted at Anamosa State Penitentiary

A correctional officer was assaulted Friday by an inmate at the Anamosa State Penitentiary, the Iowa Department of Corrections said.

According to a news release, an inmate began assaulting an officer around 2:30 p.m. Friday with closed-fist strikes.

The officer used pepper spray and defensive techniques.

The officer was sent to a hospital as a precaution, and has been released and returned to work.

The inmate did not suffer any injuries, the Department of Corrections said.

The incident remains under investigation.

The assault comes after, authorities say, two inmates attempting to escape March 23 from the prison used hammers to bludgeon to death nurse Lorena Schulte and Corrections Officer Robert McFarland.

Inmates Michael Dutcher and Thomas Woodard now face first-degree murder, second-degree kidnapping and attempted murder charges.

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