Deputy assaulted by jail inmate

July 9, 2016 at 12:10a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Inmate tries to hang Mahoning sheriff's deputy

A Mahoning County jail inmate may be facing a charge of attempted murder after being accused of trying to strangle a deputy sheriff Friday with a makeshift noose made from a T-shirt, Sheriff Jerry Greene said.

The sheriff said he was unsure if the 10:15 a.m. Friday incident was related to, or inspired by, the Thursday evening attack on Dallas police officers. Greene released a graphic 21/2-minute-long video of the event that is on Vindy.com.

He said deputies will consult with prosecutors to determine what charge or charges will be filed. Besides attempted murder, another possible charge is felonious assault, he said.

“This is just another reminder to the public and to all of our officers of the dangers of the job we do every day inside the jail and outside on patrol,” the sheriff said.

The inmate is Lucky Mitchell, 33, who was brought to the jail June 25 after being arrested by Youngstown police on a charge of carrying a concealed weapon.

Mitchell, who was jailed under $15,000 bond, was out of his cell in the open day area of the discipline pod, where he was housed, when he asked deputy Anthony Lucas for a roll of toilet paper. The deputy opened his office door to let in Mitchell.

Mitchell then entered Lucas’ work area and asked the deputy to find his next court date on a computer.

Mitchell pulled from the bottom of his shirt a torn white T-shirt tied in a circle and attempted to place it over the deputy’s throat and choke him, the sheriff’s report said.

The video begins showing Mitchell standing in the doorway waiting for a right moment to pounce on Lucas, who is off camera.

A 45-second struggle ensues between Mitchell and Lucas.

The two are off camera for a brief moment. They then tumble into view and toward the door. The two exchanged chokeholds and grapples as they aggressively spun around the small office area. Books, a trash can and eyeglasses flew in all directions. It is all in the video.

After 45 seconds, Lucas is able to open a door to an adjacent inmate area.

“[Lucas] actually had the presence of mind” to open the door on the other side of his office to enable inmates from another housing unit to come to his aid, said Maj. Alki Santamas, jail administrator.

Two other inmates came to the deputy’s aid 38 seconds after the struggle began. At the one-minute, 24-second mark, Lucas handcuffed Mitchell. At two minutes and 38 seconds, other deputies arrive.

Asked whether the inmates who assisted Lucas saved his life, the sheriff said: “That’s hard to speculate on, but, in this particular case, they certainly were able to help the officer.”

Lucas, who suffered bumps and scratches on his head, was taken to St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital and has been cleared to return to work, the sheriff said.

“It just goes to show that, even in an environment like this [the jail], it’s always dangerous, no matter where we are,” said Joe Iberis, president of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 141, which represents deputies.

“We’re just thankful that the injury wasn’t very serious,” Iberis said.

Greene said an internal-affairs investigation will be conducted.

Greene said it was permissible under his office’s procedure for Lucas to open the door to speak to Mitchell.

Greene also said he had no problem with Lucas’ opening the other door because he allowed inmates who helped him into his office.

As for the response by the deputies who came to assist Lucas, Greene explained that Lucas was unable to radio for help until the inmates helped him and got Mitchell under control.

“The time frame was OK,” the sheriff said. “We’re a vertical building,” adding that the use of elevators can delay response to an incident.

Mitchell was placed in a disciplinary unit at the jail because, since his June 25 admission, he also spat at a counselor, the sheriff said.

Mitchell is no stranger to the criminal justice system.

His most recent Mahoning County Common Pleas Court case was in 2012, when he was charged with assault and vandalism.

Involved in that case were the Turning Point Counseling Center, the Forensic Psychiatric Center of Northeast Ohio and Heartland Behavioral Healthcare Systems.

Also in that court were a 2009 burglary case and a 2004 charge of possession of criminal tools against Mitchell.