HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — An inmate recently attacked a detention deputy, but fellow inmates came to the guard's rescue, newly-released video shows.
Just before 1 a.m. on June 7 at the Falkenburg Road jail, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office says 42-year-old inmate Bridgette Harvey told Deputy Lillian Jimenez another inmate needed her help. Deputy Jimenez started going to check on the other inmate in a women's restroom when investigators say Harvey attacked the deputy from behind.
Authorities say Harvey put a pillowcase around Jimenez's neck and tried to choke her.
"Deputy Jimenez called for the Emergency Response Team via her radio, while several inmates came to her rescue by removing the pillowcase from around her neck and freeing her from Harvey's grip," the sheriff's office explained in a statement.
The attack happened in the early hours of the morning, and Hillsborough County public relations coordinator, Merissa Lynn says many of the other inmates in the pod woke up and sprang into action.
“Most of these inmates were, in fact asleep," she said. "So they heard the disturbance, they woke up, several of them rushed to the deputy's aid.”
The Emergency Response Team escorted Jimenez away from the pod, so she could be checked out. Authorities say she suffered minor injuries to her throat and neck. Jimenez has since been cleared to return to work.
Investigators say Harvey later confessed to planning the attack ahead of time. Deputies say while she was trying to choke Jimenez, she also had a "comb that she had sharpened on both ends with her teeth."
"While these inmates put our deputy in danger, there were others who did the right thing by coming to her aid, and for that, I am grateful," Sheriff Chad Chronister wrote in a statement. "Thanks to the quick response of our Emergency Response Team and the inmates who showed compassion to help our deputy, a dire situation turned into the safe rescue of Deputy Jimenez. The assailant and her co-conspirator now face additional charges for assaulting her."
That co-conspirator, according to the sheriff's office, is 37-year-old April Colvin. Authorities say Colvin was the fellow inmate who Harvey initially told Deputy Jimenez to check on in the bathroom.
Harvey was charged with aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer with a weapon, introduction of contraband into a detention facility and escape of confinement. Colvin was charged with escape from confinement.
"Two additional inmates were also removed from the pod and all four inmates involved were moved into solitary confinement for the roles they played in the assault," the sheriff's office added in a news release.
The situation was still under investigation as of June 15.
Investigators say Harvey was linked to a Pasco County home invasion that ultimately led to a man being killed in a gun battle with deputies in Hernando County.