´¡²ÔÌý has been set up for a Department of Correctional Services staff member who was assaulted Saturday at the Nebraska State Penitentiary.Ìý
Santino Dut Akot, who was one of two caseworkers attacked by an inmate, was beaten unconscious and sprayed in the eyes with pepper spray inside one of the housing units. He was knocked out after one punch to the head, continued to be beaten and then the inmate used Akot's pepper spray on him while he was on the floor.
Another caseworker was also struck in the head by the inmate while trying to help Akot. He was treated at the hospital for head lacerations and released.Ìý
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The Corrections Department has not released the name of the inmate involved in the assault.
Akot has been hospitalized since the attack and is in critical condition, according to corrections workers union spokesperson Gary Young. He is in an intensive care unit.
Akot is the father and supporter of a wife and five children, including a newborn, who live in Uganda. He also is the primary supporter of his mother, who lives in Sudan.
According to his niece, Adong Akot, who lives in Lincoln, her uncle has been in a coma.Ìý
The Corrections union updated Akot's condition late Tuesday, saying doctors removed his breathing tubes and sedation and he slowly started to awaken. After about an hour he was able to recognize family members and friends from his past. It is expected to be a long road to his full recovery, the union said.
His niece said her uncle has faced many tragedies as a Lost Boy of South Sudan, and coming to America alone.
The Lost Boys refers to a group of about 20,000 children, mostly boys, between 7 and 17 years of age who were separated from their families during a brutal war in southern Sudan. They trekked long distances seeking refuge from the fighting. Hungry, frightened and weakened by sleeplessness and disease, they crossed from the Sudan into Ethiopia and back, with many dying along the way.
Akot plays an important role in his family, his niece said, and is the reason she and others were allowed into America as refugees. He has always urged his family to pursue college and graduate to help their family back in Sudan, she said.
"He is one of the strongest and most intelligent people I know," she said, "and though I did find him urging me to graduate college annoying, I knew he was doing it from the best place in his heart."
Adong Akot commented on her Facebook page that there is a serious issue of understaffing and overcrowding at the prison and "unfortunately things like this have more potential to happen."
John Matiop Mading, who organized the fundraiser, said life is unpredictable regardless of who you are, and some days you might seem to have it all, working hard, laughing with coworkers, hanging out with friends, providing for your family and changing people's lives.
"But with just a blink of an eye, you will find yourself in a very hard place, your life will change forever and you will never be the same person again," he said. Without Santino Akot to provide for them, his family members' lives will be hard, he said.Ìý
His family and the union is urging people to help out Akot and his family by donating to the .
Prisons spokeswoman Laura Strimple said two days of intense searches were conducted at the penitentiary in the aftermath of the assault. The searches uncovered homemade alcohol, items that will be tested for the presence of drugs and some items that could have been modified into weapons.
More than three dozen Nebraska State Patrol troopers joined prison personnel in searching fo…
“The thoughts of our teammates are with that staff member and his family. This was a particularly brutal and unprovoked attack,†said Director Scott Frakes.
Warden Michele Wilhelm said the situation is a serious reminder of the inherent dangers of working in a prison.
“We train to be vigilant, but it is impossible to anticipate every situation,†she said.
On Wednesday, Lincoln Sen. Kate Bolz took a few moments on the floor of the Legislature to express concern about Akot's well being and recovery. She commended him for his hard work and services at the Department of Correctional Services.Ìý
There have been times that people at the department and in the union have wondered about the Legislature's support for them and their work, she said, and their understanding of how dangerous working at the Department of Corrections can be.Ìý
She said she does understand and senators do care.Ìý
She sent her well wishes to Akot and his family and to all correctional officers who are facing challenging conditions and dealing with difficult situations.Ìý