Lockdown lifted at Gunnison and Salt Lake County prisons following assault on correctional officer

GUNNISON — A lockdown at the Central Utah Correctional Facility has been lifted after an incarcerated man assaulted a correctional officer, prompting security restrictions at both of Utah’s state prisons.

The incident began Thursday, Sept. 24, when a CUCF inmate assaulted an officer inside a housing unit, according to the Utah Department of Corrections (UDC). The officer was transported by ambulance to a local hospital and was reported in stable condition.

The department placed both the Gunnison facility and the Utah State Correctional Facility in Salt Lake City on lockdown while investigators reviewed the assault.

During the lockdown, visiting and volunteer activities were suspended at both prisons. UDC also brought peer support and mobile crisis units to the Gunnison facility to assist employees following the assault.

UDC did not publicly identify either the injured officer or the inmate. Nor did the department disclose the officer’s injuries or identify the housing involved.

Corrections Commissioner Jared Garcia praised employees who responded to the attack.

“The quick and courageous teamwork our people are exhibiting today” contrasted with the violence directed at the officer, Garcia said.

UDC has not publicly released additional details about what led to the assault. The department said the matter remained under investigation.

CUCF employs approximately 500 people, according to UDC. Most live within the six-county region of Juab, Millard, Piute, Sanpete, Sevier and Wayne counties. More than half of CUCF employees live in Sanpete County.