MILWAUKEE – A Milwaukee County Jail correctional sergeant was attacked and stabbed on a sidewalk near the jail early Tuesday morning.
Milwaukee County officials say at about 5:30 AM Tuesday, the sergeant, a 14-year veteran of the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office, was approached on foot by a 41-year-old Milwaukee man at the intersection of North 9th and West State streets. The man attacked the sergeant, stabbing him several times, before fleeing.
James Burnett, Director of Public Affairs and Community Engagement with Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office, and acting chief of staff, joined Wisconsin’s Afternoon News, telling the team that as of 4:30 PM Tuesday, “we were told [by doctors] he was in stable condition and resting. That’s good news, it could be a lot worse.”
The suspect, whom the sergeant was able to identify, is a recently released occupant of the jail.
We asked Burnett if the suspect knew the sergeant. Burnett replied, “I cannot address any potential relationship between the two. It stands to reason they may have crossed paths since the suspect had been in custody in the jail relatively recently, and certainly over the course of his life more than once. But I cannot speculate over whether the two had a personal relationship for better or worse. That’s being looked into by the Milwaukee Police.”
Burnett could not share how the suspect was caught but said, “Milwaukee Police Department is investigating this incident. Their investigators are the ones who caught up with this suspect, I’m told in the city.”
Burnett said even though it happened outside the jail, it’s indicative of the kind of work law enforcement does, “Corrections is not always the first thing that comes to people’s minds when it comes to the criminal justice system. They think of the more public-facing positions like a police officer, like sheriff’s deputies. But corrections officers, though they might be behind-the-scenes and working inside the walls of confined space, it’s one of the most important jobs of criminal justice.”
This is a developing story; more information will be added as it becomes available.
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