Staff Writer

An Upson County jailer had to be taken to the emergency room after being assaulted by an inmate, December 30.

Chris Johnson, 20, who has been working with the jail only a few months was handing out food trays when 19-year-old Jervin Daniel Taylor of Augusta struck him from behind. The attack is said to be unprovoked.

Johnson has been released from URMC with stitches on his lip.

Taylor has allegedly been involved with other unruly incidents, and now faces a misdemeanor battery charge, felony obstruction of an officer and felony of terroristic threats after he threatened bodily harm to another staff member.

Since the incident on Monday, Taylor has been monitored very closely.

“This is more than an incident where someone resisted an officer. He crossed the line and assaulted a staff member,” said Major Dan Kilgore. “Hopefully, he will receive more than just probation. He needs to serve some time for this.”

According to Kilgore there are incidents regularly when an inmate doesn’t cooperate or is in disagreement, but for someone to conduct an unprovoked assault on a sworn officer is unacceptable.

“Johnson has a pretty tough injury, but he has kept his head up and is eager to return to work, and that says a lot about the kind of employee he is,” Kilgore said. “He is early in law enforcement, and he hasn’t let his injury discourage him.”