Altercation during jail visitation could lead to charges

An altercation at the Gonzales County Jail had one inmate and a corrections officer being treated for minor injuries and a second inmate facing possible charges in the attack.

Gonzales County Jail administrator Diane Jurek said the incident happened at about 3:21 p.m. Saturday, May 20, during trusty visitation hours. She said the two inmates apparently have animosity towards each other stemming from disagreements that took place on the streets prior to both being incarcerated.

One inmate was in a multipurpose room and the other had been in visitation in an adjacent room when the first inmate saw an opportunity to escalate their dispute.

The inmate who was attacked suffered a small laceration on his face, near his ear, and was taken to the Gonzales Healthcare Systems emergency room. A jailer who attempted to subdue and stop the attacker also suffered a minor scrape on his arm, Jurek said.

The incident is under investigation and additional charges could be filed against the attacker, including aggravated assault against a corrections officer and aggravated assault against his fellow inmate, provided the latter wishes to press charges.

“We take any situation like this that happens very seriously,” Jurek said.

The names of the inmates involved were not being released at this time due to the pending investigation, Jurek added