ROCKLAND, Maine — A Maine State Prison inmate who was accused of attacking a guard last year will serve additional time behind bars but was offered a plea deal because the corrections officer he was accused of assaulting had since been convicted of a felony.
Michael Turner, 24, pleaded guilty Wednesday in Knox County Superior Court to a felony assault on an officer as well as criminal mischief and obstructing the report of a crime. The plea, however, was an Alford plea in which Turner contested the charge but agreed that the prosecution had sufficient evidence to get a conviction.
Justice Jeffrey Hjelm agreed to the sentence reached between the prosecution and defense in which Turner would receive an additional 18 months behind bars. The potential maximum sentence for aggravated assault, which he could have been charged with, was 30 years.
The charge stems from an incident that occurred July 5, 2011, at the Maine State Prison in Warren.
Assistant District Attorney Christopher Fernald said Turner was charged with punching the corrections officer in the face for no apparent reason and then kicking him in the face. The guard suffered a broken nose and cuts and bruises.
Fernald said there had been discussions of using the restorative justice system as part of the sentencing but the victim, who would be required to participate, was no longer welcomed at the prison because he had been convicted of a felony. The prosecutor said the prosecution would not have had any witnesses to the assault other than the victim.
Defense attorney Jeremy Pratt said he had other inmates who would have testified that the incident was either borderline self-defense or was mutual aggression between the corrections officer Randall Carl and his client Turner. The defense attorney said Carl had since been convicted of felony cruelty to animals.
Carl, 46, of Knox was convicted in April of aggravated animal cruelty for using an illegally trapped bobcat to train bluetick coonhounds and the bobcat ended up being killed by the dogs. The act was videotaped. In addition to a jail sentence, probation and fine, Carl lost his job at the prison.
Referring to the agreement as a compromise, Justice Hjelm sentenced Turner to 18 months additional time in prison.
Turner has a record that includes felony aggravated assault, robbery, burglary and violation of probation.
Im pretty good with our language and stuff , but …….
What the heck is being reported here ??
30 years , 30 days, bobcats , punchouts , guards/jailbirds , other
inmates as witnesses (?) ??
You can bet that we only get to read part of this story!
after they found out that CO Carl was a sick twisted sadistic person -evidence on video and audio and he was convicted they took another look at the situation here.
you have to be a little sick to work as a gaurd at a prison.
I guess someone has got to do it….unless of course we just put all the criminals on an island somewhere and just forgot about them.
Very very good idea …After 1 good east coast winter many problems would be taking care of.
…….
That’s your opinion – I stated mine. Your disapproval is duly noted.
Thanks for taking note.
Have a good one. Time to enjoy the weekend.
Maybe some poetic justice here, but Michael Turner had best make sure all his i’s are dotted and t’s crossed the next time he assaults a guard, or another inmate. It will happen.
One of the reasons prisoners get worse in jail is the constant undertone of violence. A guard who could treat animals as he obviously did, would reasonably be expected to treat humans in a similar manner.
My guess is that the prison would prefer that Turner’s account of this incident should never surface. I wonder if he had to sign a non-disclosure agreement?
There are times when it seems too many foxes are guarding the hen houses.
You don’t win a lottery to get in prison. You earn your way there and you don’t earn your way there by being a good citizen.
Could it be a possibility that Office Carl suffered some PTSD from this assault which in turn may have changed his personality to some degree? Could it be that this prisoner, who has a history of violence, has not changed and Officer Carl was the person there at the time that this prisoner decided to get violent? No you do not have to be sick and sadistic to work at the prison. There are many good officers and staff there that are just everyday people doing their everyday job! Some prisoners are just there to change their behavior! Officer Carl did his job and did it well while an officer and anyone that knows him knows that he changed after that assault as do many others who are assaulted while working there! It is not a job for everyone and as for too many officers watching the henhouse! There are approximately 1/3 of the officers there now than there were two years ago and that causes tension on both sides to increase! How would any of you like to be locked behind two doors with 64 of Maine’s hardest criminals for 12 hours a day? And look at the state website for what they make? It is only getting worse inside our prisons!The press doesn’t report on 90 percent of the assault on staff at our prisons! Use your head before you make unwarranted comments! Have some respect for those that watch over Maine correctional facilities and pray for their safety!
Has anyone considered the effect of the assault on Officer Carl? Do you think that possibly he suffered from PTSDF from that attack? Anyone that knows him will tell you, he changed after that vicious attack. Turner has a history of violence and this just advocates that it will continue. There are only a little over 100 guards (Correctional Officers) at the prison, where two years ago there were approximately 360! Do you think that has any impact on the tension in that place?! The press doesn’t report over 90 percent of the assaults that take place in the faciilities! Why is that? Have some appreciation for those that deal with Maine’s finest citizens, and try to get them to change their behaviors! Apparently Mr. Turner has not changed his behavior or his way of thinking and we will see who the next victim will be for him! Officer Carl is not the only Correctional Officer that has been assaulted recently and does this not tell other officers that our system is failing them if they are assaulted as well? It is too bad because many of the prisoners inside are there because of a mistake and will never return. Mr. Turner on the other hand will return and Officer Carl will not! Officer Carl made a mistake after the assault and he was doing his job! Has justice been served to this victim? How would you like to be placed in room with 64 prisoners and have to be locked in there behind two large steel doors for 12 hours with minimum breaks, and backup being cut by our department heads, who have never been there? Say a prayer for those that serve and protect us by rehabilitating our offenders and keeping, or at least trying to, keep everyone safe for little pay and little respect! Maybe Officer Carl should have been shown some leniency in his wrong doing since it was his first time! Was this Mr. Turner’s first time?!! No!! How many chances does he get to have before he takes an assault too far!? He kicked an officer in the face while the officer was down! Think about that for a minute! Now who do you think is the sick, twisted, and sadistic person? Get your facts straight before posting unwarranted and ignorant comments! If you think you can do better the prison is hiring now!