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Inmate Lawsuit: Guards Stood by or Helped Facilitate Attack
By: Associated Press
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – A black West Virginia inmate says in a federal lawsuit that he was attacked by a member of the Aryan Brotherhood while state prison guards either did nothing or helped facilitate the assault.
The Charleston Gazette-Mail reported that 44-year-old Lermon Russell filed suit last week over the attack at the Mount Olive Correctional Center.
Russell says in the suit that he was stabbed and punched while shackled. Court filings including a statement from the alleged attacker that says guards knew about and encouraged the assault.
Corrections and Rehabilitation spokesman Lawrence Messina said division officials only would comment on the case through court filings.