Inmate Charged with Aggravated Assault at Monmouth County Jail
An inmate has been charged with three counts of aggravated assault stemming from the alleged assault of a corrections officer at the Monmouth County Jail in November. Anthony Montgomery, 37, is alleged to have jumped a corrections officer as the officer passed by his cell during the jail's recreation hour. The officer suffered a fractured cheek bone and separated shoulder as a result of the assault. The officer has yet to return to work since the assault in November 2008. It took two other corrections officers to finally subdue the inmate. For additional information on this story, please see "Man, 37, Indicted in Jail Guard Assault".
This story is fairly disturbing to me. First, what were the man's motives for viciously attacking a corrections officer? Maybe the two men had words or a prior issue that led to this assault. Further, as a criminal defense lawyer I frequently visit the Monmouth County Jail to meet with clients who are incarcerated. The Monmouth County Jail is unique in that the inmates are also walking around the same hallways that the attorneys are. There are corrections officers everywhere but it does slightly concern me because an inmate could attack me the same way that this inmate attacked a corrections officer.
