North Carolina prisons: Employee badly hurt in inmate attack

RALEIGH, N.C. – North Carolina authorities say a prison employee was attacked and seriously injured by two inmates wielding a homemade weapon.

The Department of Public Safety says the attack occurred Tuesday afternoon at Central Prison in Raleigh, and the housing unit where it happened was locked down.

The employee, identified as Unit Manager Brent Soucier, was hospitalized with serious injuries, according to a department statement.

The news release says the two inmates involved in the attack were Jaquan Lane and Andrew Ellis.

Prison records say Lane, 23, was serving a nearly 7-year sentence for a robbery conviction and Ellis, 32, was serving a six-year term as a habitual felon with firearms charges on his record.

Both were also being treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Authorities say they will pursue criminal charges in the attack.