NY inmate separates guards fighting over food

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Talk about a role-reversal: Two New York jail guards are in trouble after an inmate stepped in to break up their fight over food.

Erie County Undersheriff Mark Wipperman says both corrections officers are suspended with pay after what he calls an “embarrassment.”

The inmate required medical attention but Wipperman says privacy laws prevent him from disclosing his injuries. He says the inmate got between the unarmed guards because he didn’t want either to get fired.

He wouldn’t confirm a Buffalo News report that the April 21 bout started over a bag of chips. It happened at Erie County Correctional Facility in a dorm-like building.

Wipperman identified the officers as Lawrence Mule, a 26-year veteran, and James Conlin, who was hired 29 years ago. A message with the officers’ union wasn’t immediately returned.