PCSO: Jail officers injured after inmate barricaded himself in cell

Two jail officers were injured and an inmate already in custody since mid-May now faces more charges after he attempted to barricade himself in a cell, and attacked the officers coming into the cell to get him out according to a release from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.

New charges were filed over the weekend after Dewayne Ramon Young, 45, sought to barricade himself in his cell at the jail on Saturday and got into a subsequent altercation with jail staff and later deputies.

According to the release, officials found Young had began to flood his cell while lunch trays were being retrieved on Saturday afternoon and made multiple threats to staff as well.

Staff attempted to get him to cooperate, but Young refused and even attempts to use Pepper Balls and the G.L.O.V.E. device (Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter) to gain entry didn’t work, officials tried to enter the cell.

When officials went in, they attempted to use a Taser on Young, but he used a mattress to block the probes and fend off officials.

Young then pulled a shank on officers and was able to injure two of them before the group pulled back out of the cell.

Deputies responded after the stabbings with a tactical team and were able to get Young under control.

The jail staff that were stabbed only received minor injuries, per Jail Administrator Major Rachel Haddix. They were treated at the hospital and later released.

Young faces a new round of charges including two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated battery, three counts of simple battery against law enforcement officers, six counts of willful obstruction of law enforcement officers, three counts of riot in a penal institution, two counts of interference with government property, possession of weapons by an inmate, possession of firearm or knife during commission of or attempt to commit certain felonies, unauthorized possession of weapon by inmate, crossing state/guard line with weapons, intoxicants, drugs without consent, two counts of criminal trespass, disorderly conduct and reckless conduct.

He was already in custody on warrants from the Tallapoosa Circuit Superior Court.