BUCKEYE, Ariz. — More than a month after being accused of assaulting a corrections officer, an Arizona inmate told 12News he did it because he was tired of poor prison conditions and being treated "disrespectfully."
The first call to the 12News I-Team from ASPC-Eyman, a state prison in Florence, was unexpected. But what Arizona inmate Jacob Purdue said over a series of calls came as an even bigger shock when he confessed to the crime.
"Why did you attack him?" asked reporter Erica Stapleton.
"I don’t necessarily know that I’d say I attacked him," Purdue explained in a call Monday night. "But why did I assault him? A whole host of issues... They treat us disrespectfully."
12News reported last week that Purdue is accused of beating an officer on September 3rd at the ASPC-Lewis, the state prison in Buckeye. The assault caused severe injuries, according to the corrections officer union.
The I-Team does not know the status of the other guard involved.
Purdue was moved from Lewis to Eyman prison after the assault.
'That was the tipping point.'
Purdue told 12News that on the day of the attack, a corrections officer called him a name.
"The first officer who called me the name, I did what I did to him, and then the second officer came in to try to save the first officer. I told him to leave. He didn't want to leave. We wanted to try to save him, and so I did what I did to him."
The I-Team asked if he had rings on his fingers or any weapons.
"Well, I mean, I had a wedding band on my left hand," Purdue said in a call Monday night. "I hit him with my right hand."
Purdue claims he wanted to leave Lewis because of poor prison conditions.
"That was the tipping point," Purdue said.
"It's a disaster," said Carlos Garcia. "We're going to get an officer killed."
Garcia, who leads the Arizona Correctional Peace Officers Association, thinks the guards were in a bad situation due to understaffing. Garcia said the officer suffered injuries that could be permanent.
Purdue has been in and out of Arizona prisons since the mid-90s for things like burglary, aggravated robbery and being part of a criminal street gang.
The month before the attack, records indicate he was caught “promoting prison contraband." He was found guilty of the incident the same day as the guard attack in September, according to his profile on the state prison system website. The incident raised questions about where he should have been housed in the prison.
Purdue declined to talk about the contraband situation.
The Media Relations team for the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry said it was investigating the assault on the Lewis prison staff member and said: "The assault was not a result of low staffing levels."
A spokesperson also said Purdue was in a “close custody environment" at Lewis prison, one level below maximum security, according to department records.
"Do you expect to get charged for the assault?" asked Erica Stapleton.
"I should hope so," Purdue said. "This is Arizona."
"Was it worth it?" Stapleton asked.
"...To be determined," said Purdue. "I don't know. I mean, right now, does it seem like it was worth it? Absolutely not."
Data from this summer shows Arizona’s prison system is down more than a thousand corrections officers at prisons statewide, although a corrections department spokesperson told us in a statement that Lewis has one of the lowest vacancy rates.
ADCRR did not acknowledge our request for an interview.
The full statement from the ADCRR Media Relations is below:
We can confirm that inmate Jacob Purdue was managed in a close custody environment while at ASPC-Lewis, and that a second ADCRR officer was involved during the altercation. The assault was not a result of low staffing levels, in fact ASPC-Lewis has made positive strides in hiring and retaining staff, now boasting one of the lowest vacancy rates of any prison in the Department.
Unfortunately, many of the questions you have submitted overlap into areas of ongoing investigations, so we’re unable to provide comment.
Director Thornell has seen the tremendous commitment to public safety on display each and every day by ADCRR’s correctional officers and staff, and recognizes the challenging responsibilities they are tasked with carrying out.
“It shouldn’t go unnoticed that these staff are dedicated to fostering rehabilitation and maintaining security for the ultimate goal of ensuring greater public safety,” Thornell said. “Some days that means encouraging inmates into programs like education, some days that’s modeling conflict resolution strategies to reduce violence, other days that’s modernizing case management. I am grateful for their continuous work. They can count on me and the Department to stand by their side with the resources and support necessary to safely and effectively carry out the mission.”
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