CLEARFIELD – During sentencing court on Tuesday, an inmate of the state prison in Houtzdale was given additional time for assaulting a corrections officer.
Basheir F. Edwards, 31, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault before Judge Paul E. Cherry, who sentenced him to serve 16 months to six years in state prison.
This term of incarceration will run consecutive to his current sentence of 80 to 160 months for two robbery cases in Luzerne County from 2013.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, on Nov. 27, Edwards was observed wandering in the B housing unit and peering through a window into another housing pod. When a sergeant asked him to return to his assigned area, Edwards refused.
Edwards then attempted to leave the vestibule area to go to another housing unit. The sergeant stepped in front of him, to stop him. He ordered Edwards again to return to his area.
Edwards then struck the employee with a closed fist on his left jaw and lower lip. The sergeant then deployed a burst of pepper spray to stop him.
The victim suffered bruising to his left jaw and a laceration/swelling to his lip.
In a taped interview, Edwards told officials the victim “was pushing me around. . . so I hit him.” He claimed he was attempting to talk to staff about going to the Psychiatric Observatory Cell.
Edwards admitted to hitting the victim twice, according to the report.
In his interview with investigators, the victim said during their argument, Edwards continuously said “hit me” to him.
