Delaware State News
SMYRNA - A man who slit his neck in a Sussex County courtroom eight months ago apparently had the same idea in mind Saturday at the Delaware Correctional Center near Smyrna.
Department of Correction spokeswoman Elizabeth Welch confirmed that Willis T. Matthews Jr., 43, was discovered in his cell cutting himself with a sharp object. She said correctional officers entered the cell and restrained Matthews from further injury.
Sgt. David W. Phillips was one of the officers who came to the inmate's rescue.
"There was blood all over the place,'' Sgt. Phillips said. "He had a lot of cuts on him. He had sliced himself all over.''
Matthews made news April 26 when he pulled a piece of disposable razor blade from his white prison jump suit and slit his neck while he was on trial in Sussex County Superior Court for allegedly raping a 91-year-old woman in Laurel.
Sussex County Superior Court Judge E. Scott Bradley declared a mistrial in the case and Matthews was returned to DCC after treatment at Beebe Medical Center in Lewes for his injuries.
Mrs. Welch said Matthews is awaiting a second trial on the rape charges.
She said Saturday's incident produced "non life-threatening'' injuries and that Matthews was returned to DCC Sunday after treatment at a local hospital.
She confirmed the incident occurred in the same building and tier at DCC where an inmate assaulted a correctional officer last week.
Sgt. Phillips said he and fellow officers were on the tier feeding other inmates when they got a radio call about 5:10 p.m. Saturday that Matthews was cutting himself in his cell.
He said Matthews had slashed himself multiple times with a razor by the time he and other officers got to the cell.
"He had blocked his cell door with newspapers so it was difficult to get open,'' Sgt. Phillips said. "I kept pulling on it. We just kept snatching at it, pulling on it, until we got it open.''
Sgt. Phillips said there was blood all over the floor of the cell from cuts on Matthews' throat, neck, stomach, face and arms.
"We wrapped him in sheets to stop some of the bleeding,'' he said. "This is the same tier that officer (James) Gardels was injured on. None of the problems on that tier have been addressed since that happened."
Mrs. Welch confirmed last week that Mr. Gardels was assaulted Wednesday as officers were conducting cell searches in Building 18, which contains the maximum-security housing unit at DCC.
She said officers were returning inmate Kenyon Jones to his cell following a routine search procedure. After a handcuff was removed, she said the inmate spun around and struck Mr. Gardels in the head.
Mrs. Welch said officers were not able to find the razor or other instrument Matthews could have used Saturday, but that they had heard the toilet flush in his cell moments before they arrived to rescue him.
She said an investigation into the incident continues.
Sgt. Phillips said he knew the weapon was a razor.
"As far as we know, somebody gave him that razor,'' he said.
Sgt. Phillips said Matthews was taken to Bayhealth-Kent General Hospital in Dover after he and other officers trussed him in sheets to stop some of the bleeding and carried him from his cell to an ambulance.
Sgt. Philips said he and his colleagues were splattered with blood even though they had donned new bio-suits for protection before entering the cell.
"Two of us went to Kent General to get preliminary blood work done to test for hepatitis, TB and possible HIV,'' he said.
"They drew three bottles of blood but we won't hear anything until the end of the week. They were stitching (Matthews) up while I was at the hospital.''
Mrs. Welch said she could not comment on whether Matthews had been placed on any kind of heightened observation at DCC following the April court incident.
She said no charges were filed against Matthews relative to the court episode and could not say if charges would be filed in the latest incident.
She said there had not been any security changes on the cellblock since the Saturday.
David Knight, senior vice president of the Correctional Officers' Association of Delaware, said incidents similar to what happened Saturday could continue as long as DOC doles out disposable razors to inmates.
"(Inmates) break apart the disposables they give them,'' he said. "They add a toothbrush as a shank and it becomes a weapon.''
Sgt. Phillips said the public rarely glimpses or comprehends the culture of prison life.
"We know these kinds of things happen,'' he said. "This is the kind of stuff we deal with.
"We saved his life. We could have left him. He could have bled to death.''
A task force appointed by Gov. Ruth Ann Minner is investigating the circumstances of a July 12 incident at DCC in which an inmate abducted and raped a prison counselor before he was shot and killed.
Correctional officers recently asked the panel to expand its inquiry into security and manpower issues throughout the statewide prison system.
The next public meeting of the task force is set for 2 p.m. Friday at the Dover Downs Hotel in Dover.
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Senior writer Tom Eldred can be reached at 741-8212
or at teldred@newszap.com.
Reprinted with permission from newszap.com
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